Christmas Mouse Decorating the Tree

‘Tis the season to decorate! This little mouse is a pre-fired piece of ceramic that I painted in the Craft Center at Brigham Young University in the summer of 1981. In those days, the Craft Center was located downstairs in the Wilkinson Center, around the corner from the bowling alley. It was also near the bus stop and passenger pick-up point – no for-pay ride sharing in those days, just carpools of friends or family economizing by commuting together. Very handy as I lived in Pleasant Grove, Utah at the time, a distance of about 24 miles. Not too far, but far enough to be happy to share the fuel cost, which was about $1.40 a gallon. I know that doesn’t sound like much, but in 2025 money that would be about $4.99

Anyway, the Craft Center was a great place to spend the time between my last class and my ride pick-up. The ornaments were about $1.00 each, which included the paint, the brushes, and the studio space. This was quite a bargain for young cash-strapped college students expecting their first baby in the fall. I made three ornaments over the course of about 6 weeks and they all hung on a fresh cut sparsely ornamented Christmas tree placed in the corner farthest away from the wood-burning stove. This is the lone survivor.