Sounds of the Season
We've talked before about the role that our senses play in memory retrieval and storytelling. In an earlier Christmas column, I suggested that you take notes about the things you notice during the holidays. These notable impressions came as a result of using all your senses. Let's try something a little different this year. Focus on one sense: your sense of hearing.
Don't ignore your other senses; I don't want you bumping into the furniture or quaffing tainted wassail. Simply pay particular attention to what impinges on your eardrums this season, and then record them or see what memories surface. Here are some areas to note:
Music: This includes the obvious Christmas carols and seasonal hymns flooding the malls, even the ones that get stuck in your head for so long you think you'll go insane. It also embraces theme songs from TV specials and movies of the season. For instance, hearing "White Christmas" might take you back to the first time you heard it as a kid. Or it might remind you of a couple of movies: "Holiday Inn," in which it was heard for the first time, or the later movie called "White Christmas," both starring Bing Crosby. There are worse songs to get lodged in your brain.
With me it's usually "Holly Jolly Christmas" by Burl Ives. Apologies to his fans, but both singer and song rub me the wrong way. According to humorist Dave Barry, there is actually a carol titled "Ding Dong Merrily on High." I must make a note to look that up. It couldn't be any worse.
Lines From Movies: There are almost too many classic lines and phrases from traditional holiday movies to include, but such details never stopped me before. Let's make it a quiz. Answers appear at the end of the column.
"You'll shoot your eye out." a. A Christmas Story b. Bad Santa c. National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation d. Scarface
"Zuzu's petals!" a. A Christmas Story b. It's A Wonderful Life c. White Christmas d. Scarface
"Susan, I speak French. That doesn't make me Joan of Arc." a. Holiday Inn b. The Bishop's Wife c. Miracle on 34th Street d. Scaramouche
(Answering phone) "Buddy the elf, what's your favorite color?" a. White Christmas b. Elf c. Miracle on 34th Street d. Die Hard (Hey, it takes place on Christmas)
Family Expressions: Every family has them, some just aren't repeatable in polite company. Hearing them can lead to stories about how they originated. Whenever we walked into her house for a holiday gathering, my Aunt Sal would say "Park your carcass." When my Aunt Bea was just learning to talk, "snowflakes on the window sill" came out "flowsnakes on the sindywill." Ask about such sayings in your own family. Merriment invariably ensues.
Accents: This all depends on your heritage and your location. If all of your family members and guests are from where you live, no one will have an accent. But if all your guests come from somewhere else, everyone will have an accent except you.
Toys: One year, Santa came through with a robot called, appropriately, Robert the Robot. He was about a foot tall, with a gray plastic body and right-angled red arms that looked like I-beams. When I turned the crank in his back, I would hear a scratchy voice recite the following: "I am Robert Robot, mechanical man. Drive me and steer me as fast as you can." There was indeed a control box that allowed for driving and steering, but to this day I don't know why he was in such a hurry.
Animals: I'm not referring to lowing cattle. This could be your standard dog, cat, parakeet, gerbil, or even a horse, should you have one. The sound of a current pet could lead you to stories of its latest antics (Fluffy's encounter with the Roomba) or to memories of pets no longer with us (Tweety-Bird's encounter with the Roomba).
Next to the sense of smell, the sense of hearing ranks way up there as a memory trigger. While I am very sensitive to certain smells (Holly Jolly Christmas), let's confine replies to the sense of hearing. If you can think of other sounds or anecdotes or examples, please send me a note and share your story.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
You weren't really expecting the answers to the quiz, were you?
About the Author
Jay Speyerer has been a writer, a speaker, and an educator for more than 30 years, successfully helping people achieve their communication goals in memoir writing, e-mail, cross-cultural communication, and presentation skills. Want to get a better handle on proven storytelling techniques so you can write your story more easily? Find out how at his web site: => http://www.jayspeyerer.com
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