My Catholic Grandpa, rest his soul, loved to watch baseball. One evening he noticed someone wearing a Phillies "beanie" on TV and decided that he wanted one. He hand wrote a letter to someone on the Phillies and they very generously sent him, for free, a very nice stocking cap with an embroidered Phillies logo.
My Grandpa was a bit confused and tried to explain to me what he saw on TV and what he wanted. He kept insisting, "it just covers the very top of your head". Turns out, thank you u/RampagingStitch, that he wanted a zuchetto. The closest I could come at that time with my limited religious headwear knowledge was a yarmulke. Grandpa really wanted one...what a great gift idea!
After consulting with a Jewish friend, I learned that it was indeed okay to have yarmulkes with various patterns, sports logos, etc. I even found a company that custom embroidered yarmulkes! I excitedly went to my Grandpa and asked if he could have a "beanie" made, what would he get on it? I had to be sure about the color, logo, everything before placing the order.
He now wanted an Oakland A's logo. He wanted a red "beanie" with a gold logo. The best we can figure (he was in the early stages of dementia) is that maybe he wanted the A because his name also started with A. Maybe he was choosing a color clergy frequently wore.
I emailed the custom yarmulke shop. The lovely person taking my order made extra sure those were the colors and design I wanted, so I shared a little about my Grandpa... hopefully to their amusement. They sent the yarmulke in the most delightful wrapping and a little note, saying they hope my Grandpa enjoys it!
I gave it to him at Thanksgiving, because I couldn't wait for Christmas. He wore it all evening while playing cards and kept it as his side table next to his recliner so he could show everyone.
He was so proud of it he told my Grandma he was going to wear it to church. My Grandma said no, he would get them kicked out for having bad manners wearing a hat indoors. My Grandpa said, "if the Goddamn bishop can wear one, so can I!".
When he passed, my Grandma asked what I would like from his belongings. Among those items, I still have the yarmulke, the Phillies beanie and a lot of weird hilarious stories about my Grandpa. Thank you for reminding me of this fond memory.
Edit: Since my amusing relationship with my Grandpa is giving lots of folks warm fuzzies, please use it as a reminder to reach out safely and check on your grandparents or elderly loved ones, especially during this time.
outandaboot99999 on May 22nd, 2020 at 04:17 UTC »
Double take turned into a triple take there...
Imperial_LMB on May 22nd, 2020 at 04:26 UTC »
One of these things is not like the others
joantheunicorn on May 22nd, 2020 at 06:34 UTC »
My Catholic Grandpa, rest his soul, loved to watch baseball. One evening he noticed someone wearing a Phillies "beanie" on TV and decided that he wanted one. He hand wrote a letter to someone on the Phillies and they very generously sent him, for free, a very nice stocking cap with an embroidered Phillies logo.
My Grandpa was a bit confused and tried to explain to me what he saw on TV and what he wanted. He kept insisting, "it just covers the very top of your head". Turns out, thank you u/RampagingStitch, that he wanted a zuchetto. The closest I could come at that time with my limited religious headwear knowledge was a yarmulke. Grandpa really wanted one...what a great gift idea!
After consulting with a Jewish friend, I learned that it was indeed okay to have yarmulkes with various patterns, sports logos, etc. I even found a company that custom embroidered yarmulkes! I excitedly went to my Grandpa and asked if he could have a "beanie" made, what would he get on it? I had to be sure about the color, logo, everything before placing the order.
He now wanted an Oakland A's logo. He wanted a red "beanie" with a gold logo. The best we can figure (he was in the early stages of dementia) is that maybe he wanted the A because his name also started with A. Maybe he was choosing a color clergy frequently wore.
I emailed the custom yarmulke shop. The lovely person taking my order made extra sure those were the colors and design I wanted, so I shared a little about my Grandpa... hopefully to their amusement. They sent the yarmulke in the most delightful wrapping and a little note, saying they hope my Grandpa enjoys it!
I gave it to him at Thanksgiving, because I couldn't wait for Christmas. He wore it all evening while playing cards and kept it as his side table next to his recliner so he could show everyone.
He was so proud of it he told my Grandma he was going to wear it to church. My Grandma said no, he would get them kicked out for having bad manners wearing a hat indoors. My Grandpa said, "if the Goddamn bishop can wear one, so can I!".
When he passed, my Grandma asked what I would like from his belongings. Among those items, I still have the yarmulke, the Phillies beanie and a lot of weird hilarious stories about my Grandpa. Thank you for reminding me of this fond memory.
Edit: Since my amusing relationship with my Grandpa is giving lots of folks warm fuzzies, please use it as a reminder to reach out safely and check on your grandparents or elderly loved ones, especially during this time.