Another Christmas is in the Johnstone family archives — it was a lovely holiday with tons of fun and plenty of family. And I have to say that the presents that I made were well-received. Two toy pickup trucks and a “race car” were big hits with the small fry. And the cheese planes (the stainless steel versions from Rockler) were well liked by the more mature crowd. Not that any of the woodworking objects were works of art — in truth, they were rather simple. But at the same time, they did not come from Asia, were not something that went on sale at Target and did not create a large carbon footprint. (Except that I did need to heat my workshop to get them done!)
They were simply the gift of time and forethought from one family member to another — which is the peaceful and satisfying love that the holidays help to remind us of.
Of course, chocolate is good for that, too — and I got some really good stuff there!
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
