A quick story about piñatas: For a while, it felt like me and my sister were kinda often reaching out to Francisco at Casa de Piñata with some kind of weird art "emergency" that required a piñata in a funny shape. He was always really cool about it. 1/?

And then I saw in July that he was in danger of going out of business after decades of this work because the pandemic rightly means no birthday parties. Someone made a post about it. 2/?

Sometimes in the pandemic, the journalism work can so often feel like shouting into a hurricane (Jeff Proctor's words). One salve for me is to try and fix something smaller than whatever I'm reporting on. Been good for my mental wellness. 3/?

So I posted about it, and offered to place a big order. I bought a lot of piñatas for friends and kids and family. And a lot of people chipped in. I went down to Francisco's store, and paid cash upfront for a zillion piñatas. 4/?

Reporters picked up the story, including that he makes coronavirus piñatas. I think USA Today even carried it? And his phone was ringing off the hook with orders from everywhere. 5/?

For our big order, I prioritized the birthday ones, and told Francisco he could make the rest whenever. So every once in a while, I go grab some and bring them around to kids and friends in a socially distant way. 6/?

And there is something about carrying a bunch of them at once and being a colorful spectacle. They are pretty and celebratory. And the sound the paper makes in the wind is almost like water or the ocean or leaves. 7/?

Francisco says orders dropped off again in winter. He has a bunch of coronavirus ones ready to go in the shop. Maybe smash a virus to ring in the new year? I also know so many people with Dec birthdays, too. Some folks just hang them in their house or on their porch as decor. 8/?

Don't buy your piñatas from a big-box store. Go see Francisco. He can make you ANYTHING. He is an expert. And they come in many prices. #SupportLocalArtists 9/?

I'm so thankful he's still open. On hard days when I just don't know what to do with myself, somehow this piñata order comes back around at exactly the right time. Seemed rash at the time, but I think it's one of the best things I did self-care-wise during the pandemic. 10/10

This photo is from today. A black-and-silver star for a 15YO friend with a Christmas Eve birthday, and an ice cream cone for my best 2YO friend. 11/10 LOL ...

Casa de Piñata is on Lead just east of Yale in Albuquerque. Or find him online and give him a call. 12/10 ... I never number these Tweets right ...