Crafting a happy holiday

By Meg Hagerty mhagerty@poststar.com | Posted: Sunday, November 29, 2009 2:00 am | (0) Comments

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Erin Reid Coker Erin Reid Coker - coker@poststar.com Queensbury resident Gerald Mattice works on creating homemade Christmas ornaments in his shop on Wednesday November 18, 2009. Gerald and his wife Evelyn have been making the ornaments for twelve years which they give to family and friends as gifts.

QUEENSBURY -- Gerald Mattice may not have a belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly, but he is like Saint Nicholas just the same.

Both he and his wife, Evelyn, make wooden Christmas tree ornaments for their family - not at a workshop at the North Pole but in their wood shop and craft room in their home.

They like a natural, homemade feeling to their holidays.

"Sometimes I think I must be Tasha Tudor, except I have electric," Evelyn said with a laugh, referring to the late children's book author and illustrator. "It's my philosophy."

Gerald has been busy again this year in his basement as evidenced by the 20 miniature wooden mailboxes that sat on a workbench.

"He hasn't cut off any fingers yet in all his 86 years," Evelyn said.

While Gerald is the woodworker, Evelyn works her paint magic on the charming heirlooms. This year the couple chose the mailbox to add to their grandchildren and great-grandchildren's collections because it won't require a lot of the intricate painting Evelyn normally does. She needed a little rest while recovering from recent wrist surgery.

The couple always surprises the family with the newest ornament at a Christmas Eve buffet their daughter, Lynette, hosts at her house in Lake George. Everyone tries to guess what the new treasure will be for the coming holiday.

Even their new granddaughter-in-law from Chicago looks forward to the yearly unveiling. "It's exciting. It's not only the little kids that get excited but the bigger ones, too," Evelyn said.

A tradition of wooden ornaments began 11 Christmases ago, although before then, Evelyn would make trimmings out of fabric.

Evelyn comes up with the idea for the yearly decoration and then enlists Gerald to craft it out of wood. Their first project was a snowman with a navy scarf. As busy elves, they've continued with such jewels as a gingerbread house with beaded "shingles," Santa in a car with wheels that move and a bell that tinkles, a country chapel and a toy drum with little mallets.

For 17-year-old granddaughter Jaclyn Biss, getting a yearly homemade ornament from "Gran" and "Pop" means a lot more to her than if they had given her something from a store.

"They actually took the time to do it. Without it, it wouldn't make Christmas Christmas," Jaclyn said.

Jaclyn's favorite ornament, and the first one she ever received, was of a sleeping baby in a cradle, a tradition Evelyn carries on with the newborns in the family.

She gains inspiration for her ornaments from old books, Will Moses prints or her memories of toys from the past.

"It's more or less the old-fashioned things. I'm an old-fashioned lady," she said with a smile.

Christmas ornaments are just one of the ways the Mattices spread holiday joy to their family. Two years ago they also made their daughter a hand-hewn sideboard with mottled glass and wine rack that they painted deep red.

"I worked on that all winter," Gerald recalled with pride.

They've also collaborated on numerous projects like bookcases, nightstands and a two-story dollhouse for their granddaughter, which features scrap pieces of wallpaper for the rooms and upholstery fabric for the rugs. They also made a folk-art painted wardrobe cabinet for their granddaughter's "American Girl" doll, complete with handmade hangers.

There also are the 20 or so painted wooden structures - like the house, sawmill and church - the couple made for their daughter that sit on a shelf around her kitchen.

Woodworking is a hobby for Gerald, although he had plenty of practice when he built the couple's previous house on Sherman Lake.

"He did everything himself," Evelyn said.

The couple get a lot of satisfaction from knowing their family appreciates their work and they see their heirloom gifts as a legacy. They are planning a surprise just for their three children this year, as long as Evelyn's hand is able to wield a paintbrush.

"It's what gives me pleasure to go up in my room and spend hours. I listen to a little jazz and do my thing. We don't watch television. That's our fun," Evelyn said.

Posted in Lifestyles on Sunday, November 29, 2009 2:00 am

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