Six Days of Holiday Colors

Day #4- A World of Color

There’s a world of color out there. Tucson blue, Christmas red, Army green, the green-eyed monster, seeing red, black and blue, white Christmas.

My colleague Nan Andres has written The Colors of Joy, a charming interactive journal about the important effects and use of color to influence mood. The cover alone gives me a lift each day.

Kids have been coloring for decades. In 1958 those smaller boxes of Crayola crayons morphed into 64, with a built-in sharpener. What a treasure! With names that were a writer’s dream–Bittersweet, Venetian Red, Maize. Today you can send your child into a color frenzy with 120 or 150 colors.

My childhood included Venus Color Pencils, which got us through rainy summer days coloring, along with experimentation in skin tats. Now you can choose from crayons, Sharpies, or markers to use with this year’s trend for adults– a coloring book. Well, more than a trend. Coloring books are everywhere–B&N, department stores, card stores, even my local Ace has a rack. And to mixed reviews. Teenage girls seem to love them. Artistes may sniff at the lack of creativity but for the Type A alpha executive, these may just fit the bill for what to get for Christmas. A stress-relieving cat, dog, flower or mandala book to color. The finished design is crisp, neat, the sharpies are thinline–and will line up nicely on Type A’s desk.