‘Tis the Season

It’s the middle of December. And I’m busy keeping up with everything. My house is decorated both inside and outside. I’m scouring sales for the perfect gifts. And trying to continue a tradition I started a few years ago: Grinch in a pinch.

It’s like Elf on the Shelf, but with, yes, you guessed it, a Grinch. And he’s not the little kind you can put in fun places throughout your house; he’s a life-size Grinch.

It started after Halloween one year, when I moved the skeleton back into its place in the garage. An old barstool. My daughter named him “Joe.” He watched over things for the other eleven months from November to September. I jokingly said, “We should dress Joe up for Christmas.” I searched for a Santa costume, and a Grinch costume came up instead. (Somehow Amazon reads my mind.) So, I ordered it, stuffed Joe with some pillows, wrapped towels around his bony limbs, and put the costume on him.

Now, every year, starting on December 1 until Christmas Day, I have to post a photo of the Grinch in some sort of predicament. This year, I had to order a new skeleton since Joe succumbed to the elements and lost both his hands. And, lucky for me, I found one that had better arm movements. He’s Joe. 2.0

Using my brain for different creative exercises helps me as a writer. At least that’s what I tell myself. Like most writers, my dialogue in my head is ongoing, and channeling my creativity in a new direction unleashes another range of ideas. It’s like finding a radio frequency that plays different music. Instead of relying on my words to invoke emotions, I use The Grinch. And the emotion I’m going for is usually happiness. If I can make people laugh, I feel better.

I love the challenge of coming up with something new to entertain my followers. I promise things that will make them smile, and I’ve been trained to deliver on promises.

My pets help out, too. Although I’m pretty sure they don’t consider it funny. The first year, I thought I would need to superimpose a picture of my cat. But then, her curiosity took over. She came to check out the Grinch when I placed him on the stairs to make it look like she tripped him. I found that with a little help from treats, she will happily play along.

And my dog is fairly obedient and sits on command. She doesn’t really care what I’m doing as long as she gets to go with me. And a friend from high school who enjoys my posts sent me the perfect accessory. The reindeer antler. My dog doesn’t like wearing it, so these photos have to be taken quickly.

This year, I played with some AI backgrounds in Canva. Mostly, I did it to see what was possible. I have a tendency to try things just for some practice. While I can see how AI can make some interesting pictures, I prefer to come up with my own unique ideas.

I have ten more days to go, and have five posts created. Only five more crazy ideas to come up with. And then I’ll be able to get back into my work in progress with new creative energy flowing through me.

Happy holidays!