Phonograph-Themed Holiday Ornaments

[phonogfp]

Right out of the box, let me say that I'm not a big fan.  My interest lies in genuine artifacts from 95-135 years ago.  Still, friends and family occasionally give me these ornaments - and I appreciate the gesture.  Some even hang from our Christmas tree...

 

But here's an exception.  I like this one (well, almost) because it bears a strong resemblance to a Type AT Graphophone.  Except for the gaudy cabinet and what appear to be music box-type projections on the "record."  Still, it displays the geometry I admire in certain Graphophones:

 

 

 

Now that I've shared the "good," here's "the bad and the ugly..."

 

For many years my mother labored under the delusion that I needed every modern depiction of an antique phonograph that she could find.  As always, I appreciated the gesture and recognized her act of love for what it was.  But no amount of, "Oh - you SHOULDN'T have!" or "Now where can I put this...?" could convince her that the plastic "stained glass" approximations of horned phonographs or even the wallpaper in my boyhood bedroom adorned with such artistic depictions were really unnecessary.  She kept it up for decades. 

 

This year while digging through boxes of decorations we hadn't used for many years, Barbie unearthed this treasure.  It's heavy cast metal, 5 inches square and 8 inches tall.  Difficult to hide.  The music box inside plays Jingle Bell Rock while Santa and Mrs. Claus rotate above.  The carousel inside the cabinet rotates in the opposite direction.  You need to take a dramamine while watching this thing.   I thought I had buried it deeply enough, but apparently not.  Barbie has gleefully kept it on display, occasionally shifting its location to keep its majesty fresh.  As it turns out, our 2 year-old grandson likes it, carrying it from room to room and winding it up for multiple renditions of Jingle Bell Rock.  The gift that keeps on giving.  Thanks, mom.

 

George P.

 

 

[RodPickett]

You should get the ugliest Christmas sweater you can find and photo yourself holding this gem.

 

It would be a masterpiece. 

[phonogfp]

Rod, you know what I look like.  I don't need an ugly sweater.  That would simply be "gilding the lily."

 

George P.