Whimsical means wacky and weird, but witty and wonderful

 WHIMSICAL - for the 2021 Holiday Photography Challenge (See sidebar for full list.).

 Please allow me to introduce you to a long-time friend of our family.

 

Meet Ben Dablé (pronounced dah-blay).

 Ben Dablé (The Bendable Santa) made the scene many Christmases before Elf on a Shelf was ever anyone’s notion. And he’s been a family classic ever since.

 Not exactly roly-poly like the popular images of Santa Claus, Ben Dable is merry and mysterious at the same time.

 I’m pretty sure Ben arrived in stores in the late 1970s. He probably cost $1 back then. His matching counterparts have all but vanished, although they may be found via online resale marketplaces. 

(I did find a set of smaller bendable toys, featuring Santa and Rudolph and Frosty, on Amazon.)

 Our extended family used to have a tradition of drawing names for filling Christmas stockings (for the grownups, that is). Somebody tucked Ben Dablé into one of those, reading his name creatively. 

And he became a hit.

 Molded of rubbery polyester and wire-filled, this Christmas character has the ability to contort into all sorts of crazy positions and to hang around just about anywhere in the house.

 Four generations of our family have enjoyed this little guy so far, and we’re just getting started.

 Whimsical? You bet.

 

Image/s: Personal photo/s. All rights reserved.

Feel free to follow on Google Plus and Twitter. Like this blog?  Check out Practically at Home on Facebook. You are invited to visit my author page on Amazon.com.