Squidtivity

 

This is the fifth year that I've been making the squidtivity so I figured why not make a moving tribute? Since I'm married to an animator I just turned around from my desk and we hatched a plan. Basically that meant I took some pictures and he stayed up late for a couple nights and banged this out. He is also the man behind the signs at my table, my tags and my flyers and we share a lot of similar design sensibilities so he pretty much knew what I would like. He was right. My favorite part is the wisemen teetering down the hill. 

The video showcases the original squidtivity but over the years I have added more. 3 more in fact.They now make up what is called the complete squidtivity. I like to be offical and descriptive.

The squidtivity is a tribute to the nativity plays in the church I grew up in. It was a very small Methodist church with an organist that would fall asleep during hymns and at least one choir singer who was always off-key. Our nativity plays consisted of a fake baby snagged from the nursery and swaddled in a towel. It hung out in a manger built years ago by one of the church members. Everyone in the nativity was also in the choir since it was a musical. We had a narrator that would move the story along and at key points there were Christmas hymns. The wisemen (the only 3 men in the choir) had the grandest entrance. They would come in from the back and sing "We Three Kings" until they arrived at the front of the church. They walked very slowly so they could at least get 2 verses in. A few years I ended up as the angel. They knew I was too shy to ever sing a solo so they thought the better route was to convince me to play the flute, which I had only been playing for 2 years. One year they made my younger cousin play with me. We came in on the side in our white acolyte gowns and tinsel halos, mumbled to the shepherds and then butchered "Angels We Have Heard on High". 

All of the squids are handmade by me. They are made out of felt (35% wool) and are hand embroidered. They're only available during the holiday season, and it's one of the rare things that appeals to both devout believers and atheists. Through the years we have gotten every possible reaction from this. From cries of "Blasphemy!" to fits of giggles. Grab one today!