“My childhood smells like a box of Crayola crayons.”
‘Tis a dreary day, cloudy and still. Last night was cold and some of it has lingered into the morning. Gracie’s coat feels chilly when she comes inside the house. Weekdays are quiet in my neighborhood.
My crayons were kept in a cigar box. The inside top and sides of the box were a panoply of colors. My crayons ranged from full size to barely big enough to hold. I never threw crayons away. I just couldn’t. I’d tear off the paper as they got smaller and smaller and then choose by hue rather than name. Every Christmas we’d find a familiar green and yellow box in our stockings. Nothing but Crayola Crayons would do. Any others were mere imitators. I liked it when the box came with a sharpener. Crayons with points made it easier to stay in the lines. I always thought white was a wasted color. I couldn’t see it on the coloring book page, and I had to run my finger over the spot to feel the crayon marks. The Christmas coloring books always had lots of pages of Santa with his white beard and his red suit trimmed in white, and I’d use my white crayon for the sake of my art.
By the time my Christmas crayons had become mere stubs, I’d get a new box in my Easter basket. Easter coloring books were my favorites. The eggs could be one or even multi-colored. The Easter Rabbit always wore a short jacket and most times I’d color it blue. I think the reason was the Peter Rabbit influence.
The biggest box of Crayola crayons was 64 when I was a kid. It had neat colors like forest green and, one of my personal favorites, raw umber, which no longer exists in a crayon box. Legions of kids will no longer know the color of umber.
I have some sets of crayons. One is a commemorative set of all the colors, including those retired over time. Raw umber is there along with lemon yellow and maize. That box is a keepsake, a piece of my childhood.
For Halloween this year, I am giving out boxes of crayons. I never give out candy; kids get enough of it everywhere else. The box is a small one with just five crayons, but five colors are enough to fill in just about any page in a coloring book.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Coloring book, Crayola, crayons, Easter Bunny
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
October 19, 2010 at 2:08 pm
For a rather long time I thought there only was Crayola crayons 🙂 That was what I got too. But then a friend of mine got Pastel crayons and after that nothing else would do. I have to admit that Crayola crayons really was much better for a child, but I loved the smell from the pastel crayons and they sort of were softer too and absolutely impossible to sharpen 🙂 🙂 🙂
I always wondered why there were rabbits in the easter coloring book. The easter bunny isn´t especially well known here. We have imported almost all our holiday traditions from Germany up here in Sweden, but the easter bunny never made it, perhaps to long to swim for it? 🙂 🙂
It has rained on and off here today and it´s been reasonable warm too, but that will change already on thursday they say. Then it´ll snow!
Have a great day now!
Christer.
October 19, 2010 at 7:49 pm
Christer,
I don’t think I’ve seen pastel crayons. They probably came around when I was beyond my crayon years. I know the Crayola smell well.
I looked up the Easter Bunny and found this from Wikipedia, “The Easter Bunny was introduced to the United States by the German settlers who arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch country during the 18th century.[5] The arrival of the Osterhase was considered one of “childhood’s greatest pleasures”, similar to the arrival of Chris Cringle on Christmas Eve.”
Warm all day but really cold when the sun went down.
October 19, 2010 at 11:20 pm
and who is Chris Cringle 🙂 🙂
I´ll have too look that up 🙂
Christer.
October 19, 2010 at 11:33 pm
Christer,
That’s another name for Santa Claus.
October 19, 2010 at 4:00 pm
Here
http://toys.about.com/od/crayola/a/crayolacolors.htm
is a list of the ever-changing colors in the Crayola box. It lists the color your favorite saw as its replacement. Ugh. I liked Raw Umber better, too.
October 19, 2010 at 7:53 pm
Rick,
Raw umber is the best name for a crayon color but some of those others are great too like thistle and periwinkle. I probably learned a lot from the names of the different colors.
Teachers wanting Prussian blue changed intrigued me. I always Indian red did refer to American Indians. I was surprised to find it is a pigment found near India.
October 19, 2010 at 4:52 pm
Oh my, this must be “be nice to Hedley” Tuesday as you have posted music by my two favorite female artists. Heck, the only thing that could have made it better would be a picture of Hayley Mills from “In search of the Castaways”
Enough typing, back to Judee and Emmylou
October 19, 2010 at 7:59 pm
My Dear Hedley,
I am pleased to have posted your two favorites. Every day should be “be nice to Hedley” day.
http://www.ultimatedisney.com/insearchofthecastaways.html
October 19, 2010 at 8:51 pm
🙂
October 19, 2010 at 4:57 pm
We stopped with the candy years ago because neighbors with kids said they just throw them out, still not taking any chances. We did apples and I think it drove a few away and last year got an armload of half dollars. I don’t think the little ones knew what we gave them. So thanks. Crayon boxes it is down here for this year and plenty of time to buy them. We always have a party for the grand kids but that is done the weekend before trick or treat. They get enough treats throughout the year so this is a dinner. Add one little 9 month old to the table this year.
October 19, 2010 at 8:09 pm
Z&Me,
Kids love getting stuff instead of candy. My sister thought I was awful but kids say things like, “Cool, neat” when I hand them crayons or Halloween pens or pencils.
That’s a neat tradition with the grandkids. He’s nine months already-amazing.
October 19, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Burnt Sienna- why did everyone hate that town?
Cheers
October 19, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Minicapt,
I wish I had an answer for you.
October 20, 2010 at 9:21 am
Removing Raw Umber was like removing the tan M&M’s.
Some of the Crayola names were the same as regular artist paint colors. Raw Umber, Burnt Sienna, Prussian Blue, Indian Red. My favorite artist color name is Pthalocyanide Blue. That would never be a Crayola color name. 🙂
I used to give out balsa wood gliders when my mother worked at the factory where they were made. She retired a couple of years ago and my surplus supply has finally run out. Might be mini Crayola boxes for me this year too. Thanks.