What in your home reminds you of your childhood?
On a similar topic as my post earlier about ‘getting old’, there are somethings you remember and cherish about your childhood as you get older. It might be a birthday memory, or a vacation, or a family heirloom. In my house growing up, there were a lot of cherished memories just surrounding the decorations my parents had. My Mom was heavily into acrylic painting and most of our house was filled with knickknacks my Mom had hand painted, for example.
One that I have particularly fond memories of, though, is the handmade cuckoo clock that hung in the foyer of my childhood home. Purchased likely on one of our trips to Germany, I believe it was in 1983, I can remember that cuckoo clock like it was yesterday. The many times friends would sleep over in the living room and how the damn clock would keep us awake, chiming and singing every hour. Or getting yelled out for winding it wrong. It stood proudly in that hallway for the last 20 years of my growing up in that house. And despite a few tweaks and repairs, my parents still have that clock.
So when we traveled to Germany ourselves earlier this year, I knew that for my new house, I had to find and purchase my own cuckoo clock. As I explained to @designerish, it was important that a clock be in my home as it reminded me of my childhood and my many travels.
On our last day in Germany, I made a ridiculous out-of-the-way itinerary to ensure we would visit the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) and to Triberg, the home of hand-made cuckoo clocks. We spent a good hour at the famous Haus der 1000 Uhren to select the right clock. I didn’t want something huge, and wanted something that was very well handcrafted and indicative of the detail these clocks are famous for. Each cuckoo clock is unique. Handmade by an artist and no two are alike. After a good hour, we settled on one we both liked, boxed it up and the next day carried it through three airports and home.
Picture of our clock at the store
