Colors!

Is there really anything more wonder-filled than a brand new box of crayons? Oh how I love me some color! And my favorite is……Periwinkle! Cornflower runs a close second, but Periwinkle is always the first out of the box. And that means I get to buy the big box! No 12 or 24 packs for me, no sirree! Periwinkle, also known as #C5D0E6 was introduced by Crayola in 1949 and put into the 48 pack of crayons. And whoever came up with this delicious mix of color love, you’re on my would-like-to-meet list of noteworthy people.

What is it about a box of crayons that is so delightful and fun and exhilarating? Is it the memory of their wonder from kindergarten days gone by? Is it the way they smell or the way they feel in your hand? Is it that you can simply peel away the label to find more coloring supply right at your fingertips? Who can explain the psychology of the simple crayon? I certainly can’t. But when someone’s sick, that’s exactly what I get them…a coloring book and a brand new box of crayons. It does the trick every time….gets them in a happy frame of mind and heals them right up. Because really, who can be anything but happy with a crayon in hand, touching that newsprint paper and making it come alive with beauty?

Are you like me, fascinated with the names of crayons? Where, oh where, do they come up with these? Most are pretty self-explanatory, but a few make me wonder. Take, for instance, the name Cerulean. Ok, so the word itself is derived from blue. I get that. But the five year old inside of me does not comprehend what a cerulean could possibly be without actually seeing it. But think of it. The word cerulean is magnificent. It rolls off the tongue with pure ease. Sir-ooo-lee-an. It’s heavenly and divine. And yep! That’s all part of its definition and origin. Funny, huh!

Then take Cerise. Cer-wha…? It’s a deeper red than cherry red, is what it is, French in origin. And that name hasn’t been around in the color world for very long, only since the mid 1800s. But my inner child balks at the word Cerise. Why not Cherrier-Cherry Red or Double Trouble Red, she says? “Hey Charlie, can I use that Double Trouble Red crayon please?” That sounds alright, right? But if I say, “Charlie, honey, can I borrow your Cerise crayon?” Well, my fellow kindergartener’s liable to cock an eye at me, give me a hard stare and run away, taking his 96 box of gleaming color with him! So I don’t know about this one. But I sure would like to have a cup of tea with the Crayon Namers to pick their brains and find out what’s what with the naming process of my beloved crayons. You know they have to be an interesting bunch of people! Color Physicists, likely!

Periwinkle, Periwinkle, my true love, Periwinkle. A few years ago Clair decided a box of Periwinkle Crayola Crayons would be the perfect gift for me. (Aww! Right?) She was sorely disappointed that she could purchase entire boxes of basic colors, but not the King of Color, Periwinkle. And so she set out with a new box of 64, and wrote a lovely sentiment in her tiniest handwriting on the different colors in the box. Of course, Periwinkle was the first one out of the box. King Periwinkle reigns in my box of color love. But this particular box of crayons will forever remain intact and unused. I will, however, read their labels over and over and over again, to fill my life with the kind of happiness only a box of colors can bring.

So…..what’s your favorite color in the box?