Name That Car

There is a southern tradition to give your car a name. Whether it's a new car or a used car, one that you've paid for or one that has been given to you... it needs a name.

I don't know the history behind that tradition, but I know it to be a fact of life down here. Just about everyone who has seen my new Thunderbird (I love this car!) has asked me what name I gave it. And they look at me as if I've lost my mind when I tell them I haven't given it a name. (Yet.)

The way I understand it, the owner of the car gets to decide its gender. So that's the first decision that must be made. Do you want it to be female, as in Betty-Jo or Grace? Or should it be a male, such as Jimmy-Bob or Bubba? Or should it be androgynous, such as Wild Thing or BlueBell?

Decisions.... decisions.

Well, no car of mine is going to be called Bubba, that's for sure. As for Wild Thing.... not for me, thank you.

I went through a bunch of names.... such as Bluebonnet, Blue Bunny, and Blue Diamond, thinking to play off of the color of the car. None of the "blue" names sounded good to me. Besides, once you christen your car with a name, you don't want to be changing it for a different one. So better to just take your time and think of something that will work for both you and the car.

I heard the prettiest name the other day........ Annalise. The girl who works in the jewelry store told me that Annalise was her mother's name. Not that I was asking her for suggestions for the Thunderbird's name. We were talking about oil paintings, and I mentioned that my husband's mom was a talented and prolific painter. D told me that her mother was a painter also, and she mentioned her name.

When my husband and I were talking about names for the car, I decided that my car just had to be of the female gender. After all, it's not a macho-looking car, which a black or a red car would certainly be. But the silver-blue color of my car is definitely a feminine color in my eyes, and the all-black interior reminds me of a sleek pair of black high heels.

Back to the name.... I thought of Blue Angel. Nice name, but it didn't sound quite right. And D's mom's name, Annalise, is a very pretty name, but I didn't want to be naming my Thunderbird after someone else's mother.

Which got me to thinking..... Blue Angel, Little Angel...... Angelina. Which means "little angel" in Italian. Angelina was my grandmother's name (my dad's mother). Grandma was little and compact, fast and efficient. I remember her as pretty, competent, strong, and more powerful than she looked. She could be quietly gentle with such a soft heart, but when need be, she could be a strict disciplinarian and work as hard as any of the men in our family.

I loved my grandmother and spent a lot of my growing-up years in her home. I loved going to that house. It was always safe, always warm, and no matter who walked in the door, Grandma always made them feel comfortable and at home.

Perfect name for my little blue Thunderbird. Angelina: little and compact, fast and efficient, pretty, strong, more powerful than she looks. I christen my Thunderbird... Angelina!

I'll have to call my dad and tell him I've named my car after Grandma. He will think I have had one bowl of grits too many.