Like most adults, it’s been a long time since I was thrilled about receiving presents on Christmas. When you hit those teenage years, like my nephew who turns 14 next week, you no longer get a bunch of toys. The poor kid must have circled our tree a dozen times on Christmas Eve looking for a second gift with his name on it.
We grow up and learn that Christmas is about giving. As parents, we find joy in watching our children. We’re able to recapture a little bit of our own childhood in their anticipation of Santa’s visit and the flurry of excitement that follows.
That’s why I was completely taken aback when I received what is by far my coolest present of all this year…
My brother-in-law is a Farrier1. Paddy trained for years learning about horses and blacksmithing and currently works as an apprentice. Since he doesn’t make much money as an apprentice, Paddy is building a forge so he can create things out of metal. His plan is to make artistic stuff, like wine racks, that he can sell online to supplement his income.
That’s why I wasn’t surprised when Paddy showed up on Christmas Eve with a bunch of little gifts. He had said that he planned to make all his presents out of metal because he needed the practice. I saw the letter-opener with a beautifully curved handle and fine textured details that he gave to my mother and was quite impressed. When he presented my gift, a much larger package, I was intrigued.
Paddy recreated the Milestone Marketing Associates logo out of three different types of metal. The top crescent shape is aluminum. The “orange” part of the logo is pounded copper. The black “M” is hand-forged iron. The nails are Shire horse nails from England, and the whole thing is mounted on a slab of weathered wood that he found in Kentucky where he attended Farrier school. It also happens to be the state where I was born.
Needless to say, I was completely blown away. Thank you again Paddy for your thoughtful gift. Seeing the company logo in metal seems to give the business a sense of permanence that even I dared not dream until now.
Until next week,
Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.
Provided by Wikipedia:
1 A farrier is a specialist in equine hoof care, including the trimming and balancing of a horse's hoof and the placing of shoes to the horse's foot. A farrier couples a subset of the blacksmith's skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes) with a subset of veterinary medicine (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the lower limb) to address the care of the horse's feet.