The Christmas Toy

"The Bird Trap" (detail) by Konrad Grob, 1879

An almost a lost art- the act of making a child's toy for Christmas.

A whittled device, no matter how artful or ingenious, is hard-pressed to compete with shiny plastic or electronically augmented playthings.

A design problem solved with a knife and a pile of sticks.

A child's attention is focused as much on the process as the product.

A simple joy- watching hands in the act of creation.