It's nearly Christmastime.
P.L. is anxiously anticipating the season. It isn't just about the presents anymore. It's the feeling she experiences when she sees twinkling lights, smells the scent of evergreen, hears the refrains of familiar holiday music.
The tradition of Christmas season has created a comfort zone for the soul.
New ideas, symbols, and practices always make their way into the world. Sometimes they become part of our traditions, whether public or personal.
One new program will definitely become part of our family holiday celebrations. P.L. has fallen in love with the Disney television program "Phineas and Ferb," and we have followed her into this divine madness.
The cartoon show is a combination family sitcom and spy thriller, with teenage romance, fantasy, science fiction, and lots of fun music thrown in.
We follow the Flynn/Fletcher blended family throughout the course of a summer in Danville, a town somewhere in the US. Parents Linda and Lawrence operate an antique shop. Linda also participates in several community activities.
The ten year old stepbrothers use their creativity to fill their time in the back yard. Teen sister Candace is a bit bossy at times, trying to keep her younger brothers from doing things she thinks their parents would disapprove of, if they only knew. But Linda never catches the boys doing the absolutely impossible things we have come to expect from them. Some mysterious twist of fate usually causes the fantastic projects to vanish before Mom gets to see them.
This isn't a show only for kids. There are a lot of in-joke nuggets for older viewers. For instance, the music that so often accompanies Candace's indignant attempts to follow and "bust" her brothers is a snippet of the Wicked Witch of the West theme from "The Wizard of Oz." Pop culture references, witty dialog, and interesting cartoon art contribute to the entertainment.
The family owns a most unusual pet -- a duck-billed platypus named Perry. He is turquoise, a color most probably never seen in marsupials in the wild. The family know that Perry frequently disappears for periods of time, but they generally see no reason for concern. They are completely unaware that their pet is an undercover agent known as Agent P, who periodically wrests the fate of Danville and, indeed, the entire Tri-State Area (again, no clue which three states) from the evil clutches of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, his personal nemesis. Their adventures usually manage to destroy or in some way cancel out the boys' masterpieces of creative technology, but not before most of the kids in town (and frequently many of the adults) have enjoyed or otherwise benefited from them.
This year, there is a Christmas special about our favorite suburban family and friends. Apparently, Doofenshmirtz has caused the town of Danville to be declared a Naughty area. It's up to the boys to think of a way to save everyone's Christmas spirit, while Perry attempts to foil his nemesis. We're sure they'll have help from not only the very cute and smart Isabella (who crushes on Phineas), but also from brainy Baljeet, bully Buford, the entire troop of Fireside Girls, and even Candace. Candace often obsesses over making her brothers behave, but she really has a heart of gold, and she loves her weird family. (We do too!)
Which all brings me to this design. A couple of months ago, I got the first Phineas and Ferb soundtrack CD. It contains 26 songs, all of which I at least like very much, and several of which I love. The final song is from an episode celebrating Linda and Lawrences's anniversary with a tribute to the concert where they first kissed. The band, Love Händel (got to love that name!), must be reunited by Phineas and Ferb. The band plays their big hit, "You Snuck Your Way Right Into My Heart." One of the lines in the song refers to the "you" of the title as being like a ninja of love, an image that made me laugh out loud.
Why not? We hear that all is fair in love and war, that love is a battlefield. So why not use the ancient martial arts to attain the prize of true love? The idea of creating a cute ninja of love was even appealing to P.L.
So now we are getting the jump on a future holiday, too. After all, it's only two months until St. Valentine's Day will be here.
Arm yourself to go after your heart's desire!
The Ninja of Love design is available now, in the Just for Fun section of Lorilei's Artist at Work. You can find our lovable ninja on hats, t-shirts, coffee mugs, tile keepsake boxes, tote bags, babywear, and a variety of other products.
Wear the ninja yourself, or send it to someone who needs a smile. You might just sneak your way into their heart.
