Saturday, October 13, 2007

Superstition

Tea-towels with little children's handprints on them (including my darling daughter's) - a nice Christmas present for the family, no?

Except I'm worried that there's some Chinese superstition which regards children's handprints on tea-towels as bad luck.

It's not as silly as it sounds, you know. I once had to ruin a perfectly good painting of my nephew gazing at a toy truck, because my mum was terribly offended by a picture which included both a child and a truck. Another time, when I was a kid, she was offended by my present of a set of pretty candles and candlesticks. And then there was the time we couldn't order duck for my mum's eightieth birthday - something to do with the duck's bill - I never did figure out the reasoning behind that one.

I had a quick Google, and though I found some very interesting superstitions that I didn't find last time I looked, I wasn't able to find out whether the tea-towel gift would be a bad idea.

Perhaps this is why she prefers cash.

10 comments:

nigel paddell said...

'I am really Luck Illitterate.'
Says the author of Hand Made Luck.

Jon said...

The Chinese are the most superstitious people on the planet. Shouldn't she just be a grandma and love the present? ;-)

Violet said...

nigel: that's rather unlucky.
jon: nope.

Angela said...

I say just do it and hope for the best, maybe put a little money in the towel.

Violet said...

angela: it might work. Money should make anything seem better ;-)

Harry Potter said...

Wondering...whether its about superstition or gifts...or rather superstitions that surrounds the gifts...or a superstitious gift..or gift to a superstitious person...or a superstitious person giving gift to others...Oh !! GOD Save me..I am confused....

On a serious note...I like all sorts of gifts, no matter what it is...it just shows the love and care of the person who gifted that to me...

And more you think about what you want to give as gift...Shows how much you are attched to that person..thats why you are struggling to choose something special for that special one....

Violet said...

harry: I just hate to spend money, time and/or effort on a gift and have it thrown back in my face, is all :-)

Lumpyheadsmom said...

Maybe she's making up these superstitions to get you to fork over the cash.

She's brilliant. I'm going to start doing this myself.

nigel paddell said...

That could explain A LOT.
Still not changing the name to "Optimism Time! with Nigel Patel"

Violet said...

lumpyheadsmom: god, she's good!

nigel: nah, 'cos that would sound silly. if your luck's hand made, then it's more impressive.