Most of you will have heard of the Welsh love spoon. You may have seen modern love spoons – racks and racks of them hung up on walls in gift shops. Bandsawn and sanded. They weren’t always like that.
Once upon a time, at the very beginning of the tradition, they were very different things. The really early ones, and in my opinion the most beautiful ones, were functional spoons. As they developed they got more complicated, but up until very recently they were always hand made. And that’s what the real tradition is about. Not the symbolisms of all the different fancy twiddly bits. The fact that it’s made by hand specifically for a loved one.
I made this spoon for my partner last christmas. It’s not fancy. But it’s made with love. It’s a symbol and a meaning. It’s functional, so every time he eats his breakfast or his dinner with it he can be reminded how much I care about him.
This christmas lets reclaim the love spoon. Make somebody you care about a spoon. Make it with thoughts of love in your head and heart. Spend your carving time thinking about them using it. Make it special. The meaning isn’t in the decoration, it’s in the time and the effort and the care.