The History of Carpmas
Carpmas Project is part therapy and part art.
Whenever the season is getting me down and grief begins to take its ugly hold I distract myself with Carpmas. I draw. I write. I share. And then for some reason the sadness seems to leave me for a little while. That’s good, right?
It all started back in 2007…
I was Skype-chatting with my good buddy Albert.
He in Ujezd and I in Calgary.
We were discussing all the reasons that I am not a fan of Christmas: seven years in toy retail, issues with family, difficulty picking the right gifts, crowds at the mall, the rudeness, the stress and the untimely passing of my Mum the Christmas prior (something I was struggling with separating from the season).
Albert sympathized. Empathized actually… he had some stories of his own to share.
I asked what his Christmas plans were for that year; he told me about Christmas Eve Carp Dinner – you gather with your family to share a seemingly inedible fish and potato salad. His in-laws were coming over, to enjoy carp (if it’s possible to) on his newly hand crafted dining-room table. There would be gifts – but kept to a minimum.
This struck a cord… it seemed so… so… simple.
And it seemed that simple was worth celebrating!
Hence Carpmas.
~Charmaine