Welcome to My World

So… I was asked to join a “31 days of December” challenge recently.  All I have to do is take one picture a day that represents how I see Christmas.  The other people in the challenge that I know live in Manhattan.  Cool, trendy, Manhattan.  I – on the opposite end of the spectrum – live in Texas.  My first thought was, “where am I going to find images of Christmas that aren’t tacky?”

Please don’t get me wrong. I am a 4th generation Texan. I love my State and all that goes with it.  The Dallas Arts District is on the verge of being one of the most respected in the nation.  Some of the art world’s finest masterpieces are hanging in the Kimball Museum in Ft. Worth.  We have the Van Kliburn competition, symphonies, theater, ballet and opera.  If someone were to strive to attain culture in Texas, they would have no excuse not to achieve their goal.

So why does Texas remain so deliciously tacky?  It’s as if it’s in our blood. Maybe it’s our deep seeded rebellious nature.  The “we’ll do whatever the hell we want to, dad gum it!” attitude that developed early on.  Other States have their share of people with poor taste, but Texans seem to relish the tackiness.  It’s celebrated and then thrown back into the faces of those other States whose unfortunate citizens just seem sad and trashy. They can’t seem to “do tacky right.”

Rather than run from the tawdry side of my State, I’ve decided to embrace it.  I’m sure there are plenty of people who think I have no taste. Fair enough.  I’m not presumptuous enough to assume I’m an expert on style and culture. I’d simply like to share with you some of the classic Texas “tackiness” I come across every day.  I hope you enjoy it.

Advertisement