OT (this time really): Merry Christmas!

Backatcha Maren. I'm not "celebrating" anything this year, so I could care less what someone says to me. It's been ingrained into me to say Happy Holidays now, so it's now my default when on autopilot.

You can call me Grinch and I wouldn't be offended. lol!

And to you and yours Maren We are having a quiet time just us too We dont fuss much any more though i do send cards and that what i should be doing now not goofing off Bad Me LOL All the best Victoria

We have stopped sending cards years ago, and we finally got our Christmas tree up tonight (got an artificial one a few years ago when there wasn't a Christmas tree to be had around here, especially not one under 5ft tall - we put it on the dinner table). This is going to be our first Christmas without 'the kid' who is currently stuck (at least with family, sortof) in the United Kingdom, between flights from Ireland to Germany (but she will get to Germany in time to spend Christmas with my parents). Studying abroad gives some things and takes others. She came home from Oregon last year. It's too far this time, from Europe. We enjoyed our very quiet Thanksgiving, and we'll probably enjoy our similarly quiet Christmas too.

Vicky, think about this twice. Send Christmas cards to people who don't really care or make fudge for your neighbors (unless they're on a diet)? I still got to make more fudge and bake more banana bread. You can make both of those from healthy ingredients and leave it to the recipient to either eat it all at once and gain weight or stretch it out and just get the benefits of the natural ingredients ...

• /\ Mele Kalikimaka / o\ e Hauoli Makahiki Hou /o \ / \ Maren `||' Maren Purves Palms, Etc.: Tropical Plant Seeds - Hand-made Jewelry - Plants & Lilikoi
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Well, in my job I got no customer traffic and I don't really care what some people think, and so the "Happy Holidays" isn't ingrained.

Nah, you got the right idea anyway. Most of what we'll be celebrating this year is (other than Christmas) is that the Christmas Eve oyster stew will probably be more than OK again (not my doing other than buying the ingredients. Married to the same guy almost 19 years I know what goes into oyster stew), the Christmas dinner will probably too as we won't be doing stuff like packing it up and taking it to friends' house.

Well, if 'Grinch' to you means stealing Christmas, the kid did a bit of that today (yesterday) by getting herself stuck in an airport

- on the other side of the planet from us. - She did solve that problem too though.

My older (the older one my 2 younger brothers) has a son by that name, Vincent. I remember that song.

Maren

I've been in the Southwest for the past week where most people greet you with "Merry Christmas", and I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly. I honestly don't care what people say to me either though my answering machine message says, "Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Solstice, Happy Kwaanza, happy whatever you choose to celebrate or not celebrate, which is your right as an American." I recorded this after Hannukah. However, I realize now I probably should have said, "your right as a citizen of the world".

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I know I did.

love you all,

Patti

We have one of those digital answering machines. the batteries will always go out when you least expect it, so we never changed the manufacturers recording ...

Me too - Norman and I again managed to get one another the same book. This isn't the first time. Missing the kid, first Christmas alone with just the two of us, but the cats are here. I wish it would stop raining though, we got another 1.5" in the last

Still sorry about not having been able to meet you least year in Chicago (though Carla and I did have a great time).

Maren