Posted by Lorraine Bartlett
Hubby and I have several Christmases. Friday morning, we did stockings with his mother. Friday evening, we did a presents exchange with my family. On Saturday night, hubby and I did our own gift exchange.
I like that. It draws out the fun, gives you something to look forward to. Stocking stuffers are always fun. We've been trying to cut down on the goodies that go into them (think chocolate: milk, dark, chili (can't wait to try that one), little boxes of Russell Stovers), but inevitably, they stockings are stuffed with them. Hubby tries to be good, and somehow I always end up with purple, pink, and turquoise pens--makes it easier to find the changes when I edit a manuscript. And he always includes those little Post-It tabs that I can use when editing a ms to mark the pages I have changes on. (By the time I'm done reading, there's a rainbow of tabs sticking out!)
My brother always gets me the best stuff. This year he gave me the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince DVD (which I did not get to see at the theater), AND Julie and Julia (which I did), AND the best of Will Farrell on Saturday Night Live, and even MORE stuff. (He really goes overboard and I LOVE IT.) On Sunday, he called me to ask what I'd gotten from my hubby. LOTS of DVDs (it's going to be tough to sit down and write the next book and NOT be tempted by all those lovely movies and the entire run of several TV shows). So I dutifully gave him low-down.
His puzzled reaction: "I thought you said you got good stuff."
Hey, I happen to love every one of those movies, including A Christmas Story, Inside Moves, Murder By Decree--I haven't seen the latter two in a long time and wonder if they'll hold up to what I remember. It'll be interesting to see Murder By Decree again (Sherlock Holmes as played
by Christopher Plummer, with James Mason as Watson), especially considering I plan to go see the new Sherlock Holmes movie with Robert Downey Jr. (who I love!!!). And it was odd to find out that the director of Murder By Decree also directed A Christmas Story. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum!
My brother was also absolutely horrified to find out that hubby had also given me the 1096-page biography of the Queen Mum. I had to shake my head at that one. I've already read the first two chapters and can't wait to really dive into it.
So I guess it's true--one man's trash is another man's (or woman's) treasure.
And what did Santa bring YOU this Christmas?
-------------------------------------------- P.S. I hope you'll join me on Saturdays on the Cozy Chicks Blog. They'll be returning on Sunday with a new Chick--and I'll be returning on Jan. 16th (we have a guest taking my Jan. 9th spot.) See you there!
Santa brought me gift cards (notably a $100 B&N), a squirrel cage swift, really warm footie socks (it's 10 degrees F here with 40 - 50 mph winds!) and lovely earrings. I'm so sorry today will be it, I've really enjoyed visiting here and I will miss my weekly doses of cheer and charm.
Posted by: Mare F | December 29, 2009 at 09:38 AM
My dearly beloved Santa must've thought I was extra-specially good this year, because I got a twenty dollar gift card from Dunn Bros plus---drumroll---an apple peeler! It is something that I just can't live without! So now I can spend my time fiddling with the darn thing to get it to work and then wash it, which would take less time than peeling five apples for a pie! Many thanks, Santa!
Posted by: Barb Schlichting | December 29, 2009 at 09:38 AM
I was a very good girl this year....and Santa brought me a much appreciated netbook. It has a 6-cell battery which (in fine print) should give me 5+ hours of time on the train or in doctors' offices to write. Also got the newest Harry Potter and Julie & Julia. I must have been good!
Posted by: Tiger | December 29, 2009 at 10:29 AM
Ooh, Tiger, you were VERY good!
Posted by: Lorraine | December 29, 2009 at 10:32 AM
Note to Santa: check out Lorraine's loot! In the sad side, I will miss this blog, but I know you blogettes will have new and exciting activities ahead.
MJ
Posted by: Mary Jane Maffini | December 29, 2009 at 10:47 AM
i received things that i like; four books, fabric bundles for my quilting projects and greeting card software + greeting card paper.
Posted by: Dru | December 29, 2009 at 02:03 PM
I like drawing out the fun, too. This year we didn't--we did it all over at the new place (in which we don't yet live) and took over stuff to cook dinner with, too. And I only forgot *some* of the pieces!
Happy new endeavors!
Posted by: Doranna | December 29, 2009 at 03:36 PM