It's a long December

It's December. Bleary eyed and sleep deprived. Hands are itchy dry with fingers healing from cuts from errant blade strokes. The studio floor is covered with sticky lumps of raw clay melded with slivery shards of shavings that cling to shoes and leave tracks for ever surprisingly long distances. The usual ban on caffeine is lifted and now Pepsi Throwback cans litter every shelf and table. Wait, didn't I just empty the garbage yesterday?

Yet, I can't think of any other place I would want to be. The snow is falling. I've managed to string some lights- big, awesome, vintage looking, red LED bulbs- on a shaggy long needled pine. The archives of This American Life are streaming from the laptop. And I get to create little clay houses that I pretend are for the Little Family from Captain Kangaroo.

No, that I get to create little clay houses for the most wonderful clients in the world is why I love my days. Because I get emails like this from sweet Katie:

"Hi C.J.!
I received the package last week and THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! It is just perfect and my mom, (and I'm sure my whole family for that matter) is going to freak out! I am making my mom, dad and brothers come from Fort Worth to spend Christmas in Houston/Galveston this year so that she can open it with her family. So she will be opening it with her 2 brothers and their wives, all my cousins, and my grandmother as well - so everyone can see it and appreciate it! When I opened it I held it for about 30 minutes and just could not stop staring at it and all of the details - it really is a job well done and it's hard to believe that this idea finally came to life!"

And large packages from Pennsylvania containing this

and this

from sweet Pam.

And emails like this: "We used the piece in our Christmas village this year and at our annual holiday party, we received a ton of comments! Everyone was amazed by the detail and one of our friends asked for your website. Just wanted to thank you again- 9 months later and we still love our house!"

from sweet Kristen.

And, now, back to work. The DEADLINE looms. Love ya December 25, but love December 26 even more.