Chips on a Sandwich | no. 33 | BLANKIES
Happiness is a warm blanket, Charlie Brown.
-Linus
SECURITY: Charles Schulz– creator of the iconic cartoon strip Peanuts– is often given credit for coining the term “security blanket” with his blue blanket-loving character Linus van Pelt. He and his blanket are inseparable. The real origin of the term predates the inception of Schulz’s 1954 creation: during the 1920s infants were secured snuggly (and aggressively) with a blanket fastened by clips. And to think modern day swaddling is controversial! It also shows up as a wartime military term: top secret information needed to be cloaked in a security blanket. Today security blankets have been shrunk into soft, colorful, and crinkly bits of fabric that look more like a swatch than a blanket. And why not– the corner is the best part.
TRADE: Hudson Bay Company (HBC) has been making the multistripe point blanket since 1780. Their business began in North America’s fur trade and wool blankets were a hot commodity, in fact they made up 70 percent of traded goods. Indigenous trappers would trade beaver and other animal pelts for the blankets and often made them into coats (called capotes). In addition to the wide green, red, yellow and blue stripes each blanket has a set of short, thin black stripes, which tell how big the blanket is: 3.5 twin, 4 double, 6 queen, 8 king. This made it possible for traders to confirm a blanket’s size while keeping it folded. Today many HBC point blankets are family heirlooms.
CALM: Sometimes throwing around a little weight is necessary. Enter the weighted blanket. Sleeping or resting under weight may give our autonomic nervous systems (responsible for fight-or-flight) a break. Many people feel "grounded" or "earthed" under their heavy blankies. This may help reduce anxiety and make for healthier, deeper sleep. I'm partial to the knit Bearaby blankets (because they found me through social media ads!). The weight is evenly distributed and doesn't shift around. Plus, they come in nice colors.
KINDNESS: One of my favorite nonprofits is Project Linus. Their mission is simple: handmade blankets for children in need. They've delivered over 8 million blankets to children's hospitals and other organizations since 1995 (we have two Project Linus blankets in our home).
