Arts & Crafts

My wife has been walking on air lately. That is because with the Christmas holiday season, the craft fairs have arrived.

Now, I have nothing against craft fairs and crafters, they certainly have their place. And I must admit that they are the source for many unique and affordable gifts. I know a lot of people whose livelihoods come from the Christmas craft fairs, so more power to them.

It’s just that the only craft that interests me begins with the letter “K” as in Kraft Foods. Yes, macaroni and cheese or Oreos are Kraft incentives worthy of my attention, but the craft fairs of my wife’s passion hold zero interest for me. That’s not to say that I can avoid them.

You see, the weekends are for family, and I spend as much time as possible with my wife and daughter. I truly enjoy it, although golfing or playing it stag every once in a while wouldn’t be too bad, especially when the big weekend family event involves us going to a craft fair. Then I start acting like a 6-year-old who has to go to the doctor to get a shot. I’ll get all whiny and say, “Why do I have to go? I don’t wanna!”

Of course, in the end, I wind up getting the shot.

The one savior for me at these craft fairs is that a bunch of booths sell snacks. Not full-blown meals, but stuff like cookies, mochi, taro chips and kettle popcorn. Each of those booths lets you taste its wares, but the sample is so small that you need to keep going back about a billion times. This process might kill about 15 minutes of time.

I will make a sincere effort to find products that interest me. But handmade jewelry, ceramics, quilts and clothing don’t quite do it. In the end, however, my wife is happy, some of the Christmas shopping is done … and did I mention that my wife is happy?

Maybe one day they’ll do a craft fair that caters to men – the Sears Craftsman Fair sponsored by Hooters.