Thursday, February 6, 2014

Memories of Hand Warmers

It's funny, but every once in a while I remember something that I haven't thought about for decades. In this case, the bitter cold weather is reminding me of the Jon-e Hand Warmers that my parents bought us when we were in elementary school in the 1960s.

I think my brothers and I all got them as Christmas presents. I probably wasn't too thrilled when I unwrapped mine – after all, it wasn't a toy.

But to a little kid, there was something very mature about a thing that you filled with a flammable liquid, lit, and then carried around in a little drawstring pouch. It was like having all the manliness of a lighter in your pocket – without having to smoke!

Not surprisingly, the hand warmer got a lot of attention from the kids I walked to school with, who were curious about it – and more than happy to hold it for a while. Sometimes it was a little hard to get back.

I have no idea what ever happened to mine. Maybe I didn't get it back after all.

Anyway, I did an online search to see if Jon-e hand warmers are still being made in 2014. It doesn't look like it.
I suppose it's just as well. It's not too hard to imagine a school going into lockdown in 2014 if one of these things were discovered in a kid's pocket.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hey Brady!
I got one made by J.C. Higgins I bought at a sale awhile back. Thought about buying some lighter fluid & using it on one of the brutally cold days we've had. Got looking around the 'net, and it seems like Zippo lighters makes new hans warmers....

Chillin' in CLE

Exploring Almost Forgotten Gravesites in the Great State of Ohio said...

Now everyone buys the disposable hand warmers. My husband is a school crossing guard and he stands outside for a couple of hours at a time;two shifts per day. He likes the "Hot Hands" hand warmers that can be bought at Walgreens. They are air activated and the warmth lasts up to 10 hours a day. There are several brands on the market to check out and try if you need a hand warmer to determine which ones works best for you.