Christmas Sweater
With a day after Christmas 9 o’clock in the morning meeting with a buyer, their architect and contractor, I instinctively reached for a Christmas sweater I had just received. Books, bikes, art represent the kinds of Christmas presents I am nostalgic about, but it is surprising how many Christmas sweaters I received as a child or an adult that I recall–some elaborate, some hearty, some delicate. This is just a simple cotton sweater, but it still provided me a holiday punch for the morning. The meeting at a listing of mine, a historic home in Preston Hollow, also brought back some memories. The contractor Taylor Stark introduced himself as having met me when he was six months old. I told him I recalled perfectly the event. I had originated and every year sponsored the Restoration House of the Year Award. That year his parents had won the award for a home they had restored. Four television stations and print media covered the presentation by Mayor Starke Taylor of this restoration award. This was Mayor Taylor’s first official ceremony as mayor. When the recipient Jerry Stark was receiving the award, he said it was even more exciting to be presented this award by Mayor Starke Taylor since he and his wife had named their 6-month-old son Taylor Stark. And then at the December 26th meeting, architect Jay Smith reminded me we had met 13 years ago when I sponsored the Dallas Arboretum AIA Tree House Exhibition. Jay had independently submitted an entry, and his tree house received first place over all the large architectural firms that had entered. You can see many of these fabulous tree houses on my website (https://dougnewby.com/architect-designed-arboretum-tree-houses/). Jay’s tree house was pictured on the front cover of Texas Architects. Adding to the fun, he reminded me that I pulled out his name in a drawing for a one-week stay at a tree house resort in Oregon.
Sentiment and past experiences can launch worthwhile new experiences and relationships. A new Christmas sweater always adds vibrancy to the day. *Christmas Sweater
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