Holidays

Edit today, Dec. 19th: A very generous soul out there has made it possible for me to continue, THANK YOU cp_u! I have reached the number of photos that can be displayed in my account, and since this program is scheduled to be shut down, what does it matter. So, this is my last entry here. I can be found in Flickr and Facebook, also Weather Underground and " www.ephotozine.com/user/doerthe-206126/portfolio ".

What a lovely Christmas present we received today, a little 'smoke man' (Räuchermännchen) from the Erzgebirge (Iron Mountains), Germany, where wood carving is an important source of income. My cousin and his family live in Chemnitz and when they asked what we would like to have for Christmas, I immediately expressed how I would love to have a little smoke man again. These figures are a traditional Christmas item in the region and this one is decorated in the local costume of a iron ore miner. I have not had one since I was a child. The figures are hollow and are sold with small incense cones. I just lit one and our house smells wonderful, just like Christmas is supposed to. The smoke escapes through the hollow mouth.