Refrigerator magnets

Sloth, monkey and frog magnet from Costa Rica

I often make fun of the tchotchke shops that line the streets near major tourist attractions. You know the places, they sell trinkets to tourists eager for a memory from the place they've visited. So, the Pope's face gets slapped on a mug and sold in storefront near the Vatican. Or, you can pick up an Eiffel Tower snow globe at any one of a hundred spots in Paris.

My mother hated these cheap bric a brac. Her style was upscale. So much so that she would have her own designer Christmas tree in the house every year in addition to our other tree which featured the kids' handmade ornaments, too common for her luxurious spruce. So, when I got my first place, I immediately bought a fake, plastic, white Christmas tree. Later, Karen gave me one of those cheesy rotating wheels with colored cellophane, backlit with a lightbulb. It would make the tree change colors as the wheel spun. It's one of my favorite Christmas decorations.

Shaka refrigerator magnet and bottle opener Karen gave me.

So, it should be no surprise that I love these cheap knock-off stores. The tackier the better. The shoddier the manufacturing, the more likely I will buy it. Why? Because they're cheap and they make me laugh. And, most important, when I see the little knickknacks I've purchased, they remind me of some of our favorite places. All that for $2! 

Magnets from Sicily

Sure, I've spent money on expensive mementos as well. On our last trip to France, I dropped a nice sum on some fine wine. And we enjoyed every drop. But, the truth is, the wine is long gone but the magnet of the Sicilian driving the pizza truck is still on my refrigerator.

The Sicilian pizza truck driver magnet

The bagpipe refrigerator magnet is one of my favorites. We bought it at a shop selling postcards, t-shirts, and Scottish wool scarves near Edinburgh Castle. Just the same as a million other shops that line the streets leading up the hill to the fortress. This trinket is so poorly made that at least once a week I find it on the kitchen floor, the bagpipe having released itself from the magnet. One day, perhaps, I'll glue the bagpipe to it's backing. But, for now, everytime I exert some pressure to reattach the cloth to it's backing, "Scotland The Brave" plays from it's tiny speaker.

The Scottish bagpipe magnet temporarily affixed to the refrigerator. Yes, it really does play "Scotland The Brave."

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