Well, here we are again. First couple of weeks of December done. Holidays in full swing. To Do lists hopefully getting shorter and shorter or abandoned entirely. After all, at some point you just have to say enough is enough, right? Otherwise you miss it all by racing to the finish line. I still have [...]
Every year for Christmas my eight siblings and their spouses draw names for gift giving around a particular theme. Some years the themes have been practical – “emergency supplies” or “favorite cooking tools,” for example. Other years we’ve shopped for entertainment items like an Oscar-winning movie from the year the recipient graduated from high school–which [...]
I love the early days of December when everything seems possible, don’t you? The Christmas carols that irritated me in stores two weeks ago seem festive now. Spending time in the kitchen making artful cookies is creative fun. Dressing up to go out with friends feels like a treat. And I’m confidant that somehow [...]
At a recent gathering a friend mentioned how much she was anticipating Christmas and another responded that as a child she could hardly sleep because of the anticipation. I remember feeling that way as a kid, but as a grownup it’s easy to become more anxious than excited about Christmas. I still lose sleep, but [...]
Woah. My busy week got busier last week with an unexpected death in the family—my Uncle Bob, patriarch of the Cool California Cousin branch of the Loosli clan, passed away and I needed to make my way to Newport Beach for his funeral. I had a lovely time with those CCCs and my mom and [...]
