Antiques Road Show

Being an avid lover of old objects I was drawn to the Antiques Road Show
listed on my local cable channel list. I was expecting a knowledgeable host
who borders on intimidating but who has enough wit to carry off the program
without a hitch. I was pleasantly surprised to find something completely
different.

The Antiques Road Show is more than mildly entertaining. Many may think of
looking at a bunch of old things would be comparable to watching paint dry
but the host of this show is really charming and downright funny. His quirky
character makes the Antiques Road Show a real pleasure to watch and his
knowledge of the various items is outstanding.

I used to think that I may have missed my calling when I enter antique
stores. The dealers in my area pretty much know me by name if not by sight.
I spend considerable amount of time looking through objects of interest and
I also spend a lot of time reading about the various items. The Antique Road
Show has shown how little I really know.

My interest in objects from the past is closely linked to my interest in
history in general. I like to think that I have a good grasp on historical
events as well as the items associated with different eras. However, after
watching a few episodes of Antique Road Show I have come to the conclusion
that there is way more information than I could imagine getting into my
head.

The amazing thing about the program is that the host seems to have all of
this pertinent information stored in a data base between his ears. I learn
something new each time that I watch Antiques Road Show and I really find
that the things I learn help me understand our history much better. It also
makes me realize how much studying an appraiser has to do in order to make
an assessment.

An example that immediately pops into head when thinking of interesting
things learned from the Antiques Road Show was about an old bathtub. The
unit was unusual in shape. In fact, it looked nothing like a tub as we know
them today. The host mentioned that babies were last in the family to use
the tub, adding, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water” as part of
his illustration. Not only did I learn about the object I also learned about
an old saying that until that moment made no sense to me.

You can learn a lot in just one episode of Antiques Road Show. If you have
any interest in the past or if you own any older objects you may want to
give this show a try.

Antique Christmas Decoration

Christmas is always a time to look forward to in any household. But what makes it all the more exciting in our household is the fact that the entire family comes together to put up the Christmas decorations. This has been a time honored tradition in our family from the past several years. In fact, I still can’t recall how or when it started, but it all probably came into being the day my grand father walked into the house with a mysterious gift box wrapped under his arm.

I was just a kid then, but naturally I was curious. So as he came into the house and proceeded to recline on his couch, we all (namely, my sister, brothers and assorted cousins) gathered around him to see what he had brought home. We were all secretly hoping that it was some candy, for grand father had a knack for sourcing the most amazing candy! But then, he was a man full of surprises and one could never be sure what he had come home with.

Grand father saw the twinkle in all our eyes and slowly (almost laboriously) opened the box to reveal – you would never guess – an antique Christmas decoration! What attraction an antique Christmas decoration could hold for a ten year old is beyond my comprehension even today, but to be honest, I was enthralled. Just seeing that antique Christmas decoration (don’t ask me how I knew that it was an antique Christmas decoration; my grand father told me!) made my little face light up with joy. Grand father then slowly proceeded to explain the story behind the antique Christmas decoration.

He told us how a humble pheasant in rural Russia had lovingly carved up a piece of walnut wood to make the shape of the antique Christmas decoration. He then imaginatively led us through the various things the pheasant must have done to create each of the unique features of the decoration till it took its beautiful shape and size. He also narrated to us how the antique Christmas decoration must have lain in some musty old attic till it was discovered by some shrewd relative or junk collector, who, having recognized its true value, must have sold it to the antique dealer from whence my grandfather bought it.

Even today, as we all gather around Christmas time to decorate the tree in our living room, we take great pride in the first of all antique Christmas decorations our grand father procured for us. Ever since we could afford it, one or the other of us has taken turns to buy some or the other antique Christmas decoration for the tree. But even now, the pride of place, the top belongs to the antique Christmas decoration – a beautiful walnut star – that grandfather bought.