The Little Green Man

     

Little Green Man 2015

        Peter Pan, Robin Hood, the Green Knight of Arthurian tales, the Green Man of Portland are just a few of the legends of the green man who is in the folklore of most of the world's cultures. He was originally from the woods, totally of nature, and represents to the people of the area the cycle of life. He has often been celebrated for his promise of survival, protection, new life with each spring.

          And so it came to pass that our family has its own Little Green Man!

          One Christmas, I think I was in high school or maybe even college at the time, and my brothers can correct me if they have the specifics a little clearer in their memories, one of the gifts from my grandmother to one of the kids was a plastic man with bendable head, arms and legs. His body was white while his topcoat was green. He was wearing a black top hat and black boots. With him was a little dog with bendable appendages, and a ball. I don't know who the gift was for, but for some reason, we all immediately made fun of the Little Green Man and his little dog too. We teased my grandmother mercilessly about the Little Green Man. But I can't remember why. Granny was a good sport about it all and laughed along with the rest of us.

I got the Little Green Man in 1981

          The next Christmas, someone else in the family opened a gift, not suspecting a thing, and inside was the Little Green Man! We laughed and teased all over again.

          And the next Christmas, another family member opened a gift, not suspecting a thing. Inside was the Little Green Man! The person should have suspected – so the laugh was even bigger this time.

          Every Christmas after that, the Little Green Man appeared in a wrapped gift for someone or other in the family. We learned to expect it, but were still surprised when the package was opened. 

          A new tradition had begun. A silly one – yet something that delights. No one can marry into the family without appreciation of the Little Green Man.

          All these many years later, the tradition has changed only in that the Little Green Man might skip a Christmas – just to keep us anxious about every gift, large or small, under the tree or arriving in the mail. In the meantime, he is taken well care of by the last recipient – usually center place on a chimney mantel or his very own shadow box. And just when you aren't paying attention, the Little Green Man shows up again in a Christmas package – and lo and behold, the smiles and laughs come out, just like in all the Christmases of yore!

          We say we don't know how this all got started – why we made fun of the Little Green Man to begin with, but now that we know the prevalence of the green man throughout the world's cultures, his allure and mystique – perhaps it was the magic of the Little Green Man himself ! Our family's making fun of him and teasing is what has made him last long after all the other gifts of that Christmas long ago have been lost or forgotten. The Little Green Man has become a connection that weaves between family members even as, over the years, some of us have gotten old and died, and others married and gave birth. He is our own Green Man legend!

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