deer hair on coat sleeve

Several years ago we started the Christmas tradition of allowing the oldest to open their presents first and so forth until the youngest opens their presents last.

We all really enjoy the tradition because it allows each person to explain the gift they gave as well as really see the look on the person’s face when they open the special item.

Another thing we are big on is gifting thrifted or found items. If you’ve been reading Blind Pig and The Acorn for any length of time you’ve likely noticed our great love for all things old. Each of us share a real admiration and appreciation for things that were made in days gone by. An additional plus to such items is that they are often of a much higher quality than today’s mass made things.

Chitter got The Deer Hunter one such item this year—a vintage wool hunting jacket. He was tickled to death with the garment and a quick test drive showed it fit perfectly.

As The Deer Hunter set and admired the new to him jacket, Chitter said “I thought it would be really good to hunt in.”

With a twinkle in his eye The Deer Hunter replied “Oh I’m positive it will be perfect to hunt in and in fact I have proof.” We all sort of laughed at him until he pointed out the deer hair he found on one of the cuffs.

In his words, the several found deer hairs proved the old jacket had definitely brought home the meat at least once.


Last night’s video: Planning the 2022 Garden in the Mountains of Appalachia.

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19 Comments

  1. What a great gift and i love family traditions.I love your show and i love your biscuit .I use your receipt and my husband loves them. I love to make them i never could make home made biscuits.I just love your grandma she is precious.I love the mountains and i love the way you garden it makes me feel like i am back home in Ky.

  2. Love these traditions, and enjoy older/vintage things also…. like a set of tulip bowls I have , just like the ones my mama use to use….or my favorite Mirro-Matic Electric Percolator …. I like my coffee really hot…and the newer coffee makers just don’t get it hot enough….my husband buys used military BDU cargo pants to work out in the yard in, or on the car or under the car 🙂 because they are so well made , and have nice pockets…. since our son was a military career guy USA, ( now retired but still working as a civilian worker on an Army Base)..where he works they have a thrift store on the base that we can buy military BDU’s at when we visit. They are practically brand new at low prices….

  3. Chitter must have searched diligently to find such a nice and ‘fitting’ gift.

    My parents family ran to 11 including them. Add spouses for all the siblings and you have a houseful at Christmas. If we had even tried to use your primogeniture approach, our gift distribution would have lasted to Old Christmas. Our tradition was that the oldest child took gifts from under the tree and called out who they were for and passed them along. That practice continued after our parents’ passing. It probably lasted for more than 50 years. Alas, our oldest brother passed away peacefully 2 years ago (at age 95) and 2 other siblings have since then. We no longer congregate for Christmas, but we have our own families and out own traditions.

  4. I think that is wwonderful! I used to me the General Manager of a million dollar Goodwill so I know the things that can be found in thrift stores! I LOVE thrift shopping and go every chance I get. I have found some amazing things! I love running across old and vintage items, a treasure hunt for sure!
    Going for another 6 month CT scan, blood work, and cancer check-up next week,. Please keep me in your prayers.

  5. Such a lovely tradition – letting the oldest open gifts first, sharing the stories, and allowing everyone to enjoy the experience of a thoughtful and heartfelt gift. I also like your interest in and gifting of thrifted or found items. Some of my favorite things are inherited ones which came to me as a gift – my grandmother’s quilts, or handstitched pillow cases, maybe a handbag or a kitchen mixing bowl, my Dad’s WWII Army Air Force wool blanket which has kept me warm on many camping trips. All useful, treasured, and filled with found memories of the people who shared them.

  6. I’ve been searching in the thrift stores for wool blankets and have found none. I guess everyone who has them is holding on to them!
    That jacket looks like a real find!

  7. That’s funny. We use to make something and people would draw a number out of the hat ir little box and they would pick any present , then the next person would go. So that person if they didn’t like or wanted to change with the fist person, then they would have to give theirs ip. It was fun. I got a cute snowman that someone make and I loved it. Thankfully no one wanted it. I love snowmen .

  8. I have a sweater that is over 30 years old. My favorite sweater. It still looks good because of the quality. Love the story! Your family is so thoughtful – even in gift giving. Really enjoyed the YouTube video yesterday. 49 years ago we had a simple, small wedding – and we are still in love with each other!!!! Take care and God bless!

  9. Old or new, home-made or store bought, seeing the joyful excitement in one’s face who is opening the gift becomes a gift to the giver.
    I haven’t thought of my little garden yet but it was inspiring to hear your ideas.

  10. Vintage really means made with excellent craftsmanship. The mass produced, foreign CRAP peddled to us in stores is actually quite humorous once you get past the anger and over pricing of cheap plastic and pot metal… I like to watch the show about American pickers where they travel looking to purchase unique items in barns, out buildings, etc all over the country. It’s interesting to see for sure. Tipper and family- happy picking!!! I got a coat from ‘96 and it ain’t going anywhere anytime soon!!!

  11. We do the same thing, take turn about. I guess you could say it is a tradition. Like you, I enjoy letting one person have center stage and have time to share any story that goes with the gift, even if it was how hard it was to find. This year I gave our grandson a Swiss army knife I found 50 or so years ago. The story of finding it was not dramatic and exciting but still his time with it starts with memories.

    i can understand quite well why the Deer Hunter likes his jacket. Wool was once the #1 outdoor clothing fabric. It insulates even when wet and is silent in the woods, not a small feature. And it takes color in a kinda muted way that blends in better than hard finished fabric. But better than all of that is the memories already associated with it and the knowing that somebody else had made memories of their own while wearing it.

    I think gifting well is a high art because it uses grace and knowledge and love. The match of a gift to the person such that they love it is all the reward the giver needs or really wants. Of course such a high bar has its failures. But even those make the successes that much better.

  12. I love gifts that have a dual purpose, i.e. part of the proceeds goes to a charitable or civic project. One of my students made a donation to Samaritan’s Purse in my name this year and gave me the receipt in a card.

    Our family has long had the tradition of opening our gifts one at a time, going from youngest to oldest. My mom made us start doing it that way when we were younger and one year the chaos was so bad she couldn’t tell who had given us what. My brother and I have continued it with our own children.

  13. The vintage camo pattern revealed in the image immediately tells a story, and the deer hair gives the garment a cachet you can’t buy, no matter what price paid, in a new piece of attire. Knowing Matt’s outlook on life, I’m sure he was pleased as punch.

  14. Please tell us more about the peas you ate at church. Peas are my favorite bounty from the garden Hope the Deer Hunter is blessed with a successful hunting season wearing his “new” “old” jacket

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