Attack of the tchotchkes!

The tchotchke (also spelled chotchke).

What it is: An inexpensive souvenir.

AKA: The knick-knack.

Origin: Yiddish

Pronounced: [chahch-kuh]

Here's Pixar's Version:

I often wonder how I acquired so many tchotchkes.  I'm almost 30 and my house is filled with them.  It seems that there is nowhere that I can go to escape the tchotchke.  It's a favorite of all American's.  Those little items you pick up on vacation to remind you of where you've been.  Those "I gotta have it" things that you "can't live without."

You can tell a lot about a person from their tchotchkes!  You can tell what kinds of things they like, what kind of things they collect, what they dream of, where they have been, and often where they are going.  To look around my house, you would see that most of my tchotchkes have whimsical expressions, beautiful personalities, or even humor in some form.  We tend to surround ourselves with those things that make us happy, make us smile, or bring back memories.

Due to the size of our house and the vast amount of these fun-loving tchotchkes that I've collected, I've decided to make this a banner year!  This year I have vowed to dispose of some of the more "forgetful" tchotchkes in my home.  And by forgetful tchotchkes, I mean the ones that I won't miss when they're gone.  Those are the tchotchkes that I can REALLY live without.  

But perhaps my favorite tchotchkes of all are the ones from events (my cousin's weddings, ordinations, etc)....those are usually the hardest to get rid of.  And let's face it, now that my Christmas Tree is coming down and all the Christmas tchotchkes will be forgotten until next year...there's still room for my tried and true favorites.

But seriously...sometimes I look around and I think, "where did all this stuff come from?"  It came from the land of tchotchkes, impulse, and cuteness.  Because if we were honest with ourselves, we would realize that we accumulated all those tchotchkes because on some level they mean something to us.  So collect away my friends, even if it's only temporary.  Dream through your tchotchkes and let your tchotchkes run away with your imagination.  But here's a warning, when the tchotchkes establish an army against you and begin to take over your home......find new homes for them instead.  Give them a second life through GoodWill, charity groups, and so many others.  If it made you smile, it will make someone else smile too.