Star Wars

When Star Wars: Rogue One came out last year, let's just say we were excited.  Solomon, Nova and I were lucky enough to go to a matinee showing with roughly 17 friends the day it came out (a perk of homeschooling).  It reminded me of the hoopla and excitement of the late '90s Star Wars moviegoing experience.  Yes, we all wish that middle trilogy had turned out better.  Still, the group enthusiasm was a rare and memorable experience.  The lines were long but no one minded.  People were dressed up in costume, Leia hair abounded. Nova and I contributed there.  (Much has been written about Princess Leia's hair styles.  In short, they are not humanly possible.  But we tried.  Nova has the classic cinnamon buns.  I went for the style at the awards ceremony at the end of the first movie.  Mini spin pins (a corkscrew-like hair pin) were essential). Solomon went for the much-loved Millennium Falcon T-shirt.  GG Rose's 1970s ski jacket seemed the appropriate choice for Nova.  There was lots of jumping back and forth in line to talk with friends.  And the movie delivered.



We might as well have called 2015 the Star Wars Christmas.  There was a talking Yoda, Darth Vader key chain, light sabers, figurines, on and on, from all sides.  (I restrained myself from getting entire family fair isle Star Wars pajamas, but they were available).  The Midwinters LOVE Star Wars.  So does Brynn, our Dad and I (I think our Mom likes it but not in the same watch-three-movies-in-a-row intense kind of way).  Each child got a starship of some description in their stocking.  A battle ensued.

It is interesting to see these kids right on the border of becoming young adults.  One minute Solomon is 'too old' to play, the next he is pulled in and right there with rest of them.  I know it won't last--isn't meant to last, even.  But it is fun, to see them on the cusp, flipping back and forth.


We watched the originals in a ramp-up (and as a reminder) to the new release.  Charlotte was quite taken with the whole story.  When I came home with a big poncho she immediately absconded with it, grabbed a light saber and announced  'I am Obi-Won's Daughter.'



Above is a picture Solomon drew in preschool, back when the third movie of the second trilogy came out.  He did not see it (it is one of the darker ones).  But Star Wars was in the air, and he absorbed some of the basics.  "What is that? Where'd you get that? Is that Star Wars?" was line from a comedy sketch we'd seen in around '98.  It kept coming back to me as it was oh so true.  And when I went to Ireland with my sister and parents for a family wedding in 2007, the unspoken agreement was if I left the country Charles would show the kids the original Star Wars trilogy (I was against this at the time, feeling that 4 and 6 was too young).  We did not discuss it even once, but that is exactly how it went.  Eventually I came around.