I…

got the flu.

Four days ago I felt like a human. Saturday, Sunday, and Monday… not so much. Still, I made “the effort” yesterday, Christmas Eve, to get out, and ran a few errands with lecram. That’s when I got to see Stalker Claus…

And he really is Stalker Claus, because I turned around, and there he was again… down the street, skulking near this other house…

He thought changing his outfit would throw me off, but I’m wise to ‘im, I am.

After the food-run and whatnot, and being freaked out by that guy in the red suit that kept turning up everywhere… I opted to come home, take antihistamines and pass out. But not before being gifted with a flashy lighter. You can see what it looks like in lecram’s Christmas Vlog. I don’t smoke. Never will. But I do know several people who do, so, you know, I can help them get lung cancer with festive pizzazz, baby!

No, I like my lighter. It’s sparkly and flashy, it makes fire, AND… it has a wee flashlight on the other end. It’s a survival tool!

Or not.

Anyway, today has been… quiet. The podling was with her Dad and his family all morning, and since I’m still coughing and sniffling I couldn’t have any contact with MY family. (It’s not good to go be around a guy who just had a triple bypass if you’re carrying the creeping crud along with you.)

I slept throughout the morning. Watched a little of my man James Bond, then ended up waking up to something crappy and forgettable on TV. (Mercifully forgettable due to the drugs I’m still taking for the runny nose, cough, fever, etc…) Ate ramen noodle soup, because I’ve run out of the other kinds of soups.

Then the podling and her Dad stopped in. She opened what Santa had left for her here. She got a PS2 game, some games for her DS, a purple velvet purse, some leather gloves, the Daring Book for Girls, various foofy things. Between me, Santa and my parents, she had a fine haul here. Not to mention her new computer, and eventually the internet access she’ll have once I pick up a router and get her networked. (And the parental blocking and keystroke logging software I’m tempted to subject her to… What?! I’m a MOM, for crying out loud! And I KNOW what’s out there on that in-tar-web thang. Gotta keep her pure as long as I can. Not naive. Just pure.)

She brought me gifts. One was from her… a gorgeous pair of shoes that I had commented on a long while back. They’re saucy little black satin pumps with delicate rhinestone embellishments. Apparently, the young one remembered my shoe size and went back to get them. She’s a good girl. She’s a sweet girl. She’s a caring girl. She’s a thoughtful girl.

The other gift… well…

The photo is sideways. I’m too lazy to adjust it. And yes, I need to wipe down my stove top. I don’t do those things while sick.

Isn’t it magnificent? A frog covered teapot, six cups, all on a wire stand… thingy. It says they are not to be used in the dishwasher, the microwave, and do NOT use with boiling water.

um…

So what DO I use them with? They just denied me my three main cooking and cleaning methods!

Apparently this is a gift that the ex’s mother had had sitting around for me for years and kept forgetting to give to me. It had been picked up for me a long while back, because the family remembered that I have an affinity for frogdom. It was remembered this year, and given to me on behalf of the podling.

o

k

Now… it IS true I have long had a thing for frogs. It came from a childhood nickname, and suddenly people started giving me frog-related things. As I got older I weeded out the crap and kept some of my favorites. I have a few glass frog ornaments on my Christmas tree. I have a little carved frog with an opal in his back. I have a Baccarat crystal frog. I have an antique vase of three frogs with upturned mouths that belonged to my grandmother. (Whose birthday it would have been today. Happy Birthday, Grandma in heaven.) And if I see something truly cool and frog-like, I’ll acquire it. This is a rare occurrence.

I collect the unique, the unusual, the very fine…

Apparently my idea of a unique, unusual, fine frog is not the same as others’ ideas.

Does anyone know the polite waiting period before chucking a dust-catcher in the bin at the local Goodwill?

And so this is Christmas…

The cool thing about Christmas is you get to try it again next year.

Bah Ho Ho Merry Humbug.

I look forward to eating the duck takeout picked up for the occasion later.

Not much of worth to say today. I seem to have a caught a tickle in my throat that has decided to move on to becoming a bit of a cold. I’m coughing and sucking on lozenges. I’m not feeling chatty or verbose, so I’ll just offer random comments here and there as I share sights of the season.

First… more of me. To the world. Yeah, it’s kind of an obsession this time of year. If you look at the bottom “JOY”, you’ll see that, apparently, I cost $19.99. Now that’s a bargain for some “JOY” in your life!

Next, random photos I shot on the 16th while sitting around, shooting the shit with lecram and friends. I was fascinated with taking blurry photos of my Chivas and car keys, apparently. Sometimes I don’t know why I do what I do. I just do it, and it either sorts itself later, or just remains a random happening with no point.

I took the above and below photos because I couldn’t decide which I liked better… the one is a little more ‘clean’, the second has that gritty, urban, crappy-Fresno look. Perspective is everything.

And then, on Thursday, was Mm Mm Christmas. Go here to see some video shot during the proceedings.

Mm Mm Christmas is this thing these guys have been doing for… umpteen years. I got invited this year. It’s a reason for people to get together with the excuse of singing Christmas carols. And if you don’t know the words… you “mm mm mm” along until you get to the part where you do.

There was singing:

Crafty ornament making: (Here you will see a sketch done by lecram of our lovely bartender, and my contributions… what I thought were ornaments appropriate to a bar setting)

Polaroid photos taken to commemorate the occasion: (That’s Zonthar, me, and Jag… and no, it really IS better that you can’t really see us in my photos of the photo)

And… eventually, Peanuts/Snoopy dancing:

What was *I* doing during all these festivities? Ensuring that there is a warm place in hell for me by creating the following from the crafty ornament supplies.

The first… not so bad. It’s just crass (or… “kiss my ass”):

Yes. It hangs on the tree there, now.

But then, I moved on to “callous and insensitive”. But only at Jag’s request. It’s a commissioned piece of art, you see. I asked what sort of ornament I should craft next, and he said something about an artistic rendering of the planes crashing into the twin towers… and… well… I picked up the scissors… the paper…:

He was so moved by my personalized effort to bring him holiday cheer in a way that he could understand it that he took it home, and I’m sure now it holds a place of honor upon his refrigerator. Or… somewhere.

Yup. Goin’ to hell.

And.. speaking of hell… Saw Sweeney Todd yesterday. Podling came along. We both LOVED it. Nephew Timinator was there as well. He found it to be a bit on the graphic side, but enjoyed the story and music. Had the pleasure of the company of both lecram and APJ. We all thought it was great. Then we went out to the Chicken Pie Shop so lecram and I could order these seasonal offerings:

OH, so tasty. Red meat pies. APJ and the children weren’t brave enough to try them, but came along and ordered other fine comfort food.

Time for a nap. I can’t be sick for Xmas. Dad’s still recovering from a triple bypass the week after Thanksgiving. All he needs is a virus-y daughter bringing him that special gift of pneumonia.

The last of the winter holiday edition. Here are the rest of the Christmas themed greetings.

With kind Remembrance
for christmas
and the New Year

Reta Margaret Kimball

We wish you both in rhyme and reason,
The joys of all this festive season.
that Christmas joy
and Christmas pleasure,
Come to you in goodly measure.

The Seasons
Greetings
and
Best Wishes

If all your days throughout the year
Were crowded into one,
I’d fill it full of Christmas cheer
From morn ’til set of sun.

A post card
To Doris
From Wilma

Wishing you the joy of
Christmas and happiness
throughout the coming year

Signed by Mamie McCune

So… I come up with three wishes for three HNT bloggers? Is that it? I think that’s what this says:

# YOU will pick 3 fellow HNT/bloggers.
# YOU will choose ones that you aren’t necessarily close to, since you’ll probably be doing separate Christmas wishes for them anyway. So Phain won’t pick Fame, Betcha won’t pick No One, MG won’t pick TG, etc….
# YOU will tell us what you’re going to get them for Christmas, if you had the means to do so.
# YOU will do all of this on YOUR site.
# YOU will leave a comment here to let us know that you’ve put up your list, and to whom you’re gifting.
# YOU will comment to, or email, the recipients to let them know you’ve listed them, so they can come to your site and see what they’ll get.
# (optional) - YOU will post a picture of each gift, if that’s possible.
# WE will go to your site and see how generous you are to total strangers.

Ok. so… because… um… yeah… I don’t know ANYONE that does HNT, except lecram… as in, I REALLY don’t know anyone, because I am sporadic, at best in both posting and following HNT … because of this, I have chosen three people entirely randomly, mostly based on what I HAVE seen or noticed of them. My reasons may be shallow or quite thoughtful. But here we go… Three wishes.

Wish #1.
For Signgurl

Why: This may seem trite, but she’s one of those “hero” people you come across every so often. You know, regular folk, just living life, but in the course of that life they make the decision to do something that, while maybe not earth-shattering or front page news, is still quite extraordinary, something that makes a difference in their OWN lives and the lives of those around them. Courage, Self-Respect, Determination. That kind of hero people. I’ve read her posts. I just like her, and respect her for who she seems to be. And she is, truly, beautiful. Inside and out. This ain’t JUST about a person who has lost weight, though that’s a part of the journey. This is about an amazing person being who she really is. At least, that’s MY take on it.

What: Unsure of what to give here, since I haven’t quite gleaned much of the likes/dislikes sort of information from what I’ve read, so I’m just going for, you know… that “nice” thing you’d give anyone who deserves really, really “nice”. So I was thinking… a ride in a limousine closely resembling this inside:

And that package on the seat… perhaps… containing something shiny, sparkly, unusual and personalized…

on the way to somewhere she’s always wanted to go. The concert of her dreams, maybe? Or the getaway of dreams with the spousal unit? Maybe a night on the town with all the most fun people she knows. Or… a trip to a pampering spa where they do things with warm rocks and rose petals that you didn’t even KNOW people would do… All expenses paid.

Wish #2
For What Doesn’t Kill You

Why: No reason, really. This is the “shallow” part of our proceedings. Picked this one fairly random-like, and the intent is ENTIRELY tongue-in-cheek. I guess the “why” is because age DOES get us all, in the end. So… for that grey in the goatee that appeared on this week’s HNT…

What:

Yes, Just For Men hair color. And it says it’s good for mustaches and beards. They’re even offering a free box. But that’s only for U.S. residents.

Mind you, this wish is only in the most whimsical sense, given that this guy appears to be older than me, but also appears to be in somewhat better shape than me. (And probably better looking.)

Really, it’s just a silly joke. Dude doesn’t need it. Besides… grey on a man = “distinguished”. I’ve been using henna on MY hair for over a year now, and though there was no grey when I started, I’m not inclined to find out if, given the stress of this last year, it has decided to make an appearance. Why? Because grey on a woman = “not so fresh, eh?”

Yup.

Wish #3:
For Mark Leslie

Why: I like writers. That’s pretty much the only reason. Stumbled across his blog; read the “I, Death” blog; was captivated. I think it has something to do with the fact that I wish I could be a “real” writer. I love to pour out words, myself, but I have no discipline or focus. I just have respect for someone who has the dedication to do it properly. That writing thing.

What:

Now… while imagination MAY be more important than knowledge… we all know knowledge is power, so let’s not completely discount knowledge. However, for our purposes here, the wish is for unending imagination. Ever-flowing inspiration. A kind muse.
All as thanks for giving me something to read for a while that fired MY imagination, and made me think, or feel, or smile, or wonder.

Merry Kringle. Good Yule. Happy Holly-days.

The holiday season version.

Cover:
Christmas Greetings

First page:
To Glen Hanneman
From Otto Herman Fred and Ernest Neff

Interior:
Merry Christmas.

If all the things
I wish for you,
If all the Christmas gifts,
could be
Placed side by side
in one long line,
They’d pave the way
‘twixt you and me!

The Holiday Season version.

With loads of
Good Wishes
For Your Christmas

Fresno Cal
Dec. 20, ‘20

“Hol!Ho, Ha.”

Old Jolly Santa -
Claus wants to see you all at Grand Pa’s
Kissling house on
Christmas Eve.

Yours Truly.

Santa sent Granddad a post card! How festive and fun!

is to think of as many songs as you can that have lyrics that contain the word “joy” in them.

Why? Because… well, my name is Joy. And it’s that time of year… where everywhere I go I see my name screaming at me from store windows, billboards, church signs, and junk mail, and…

at conglomerate coffee houses that can be found on literally every corner in nearly every city nationwide…

If I have to suffer a surfeit of Joy (I do loves me a little alliteration)… so do you.

One has already been quoted in the comments of my last post… “Joyful, Joyful, we adore thee…” (which was, btw, my wedding march all those years ago, because I have always been a vain little thing, even back then.)

No. You may not quote “Joy to the World.” No. Not even the Three Dog Night “Joy to the World.”

Aside from that… g’head. Let’s see how many y’all (all 3 of my readers) can come up with. You may begin.

Apparently.

Check out the 1927 seal on the envelope. They had them back then, even.
And a one cent stamp to mail it! The post mark is Christmas Eve. Check out the address. Just the recipient’s name, and the town. I also had to add in a scan of the interior of the envelope. Pretty, no?

A MERRY CHRISTMAS

A bit of fog and Yuletide log
to drive the mists away,
With a happy throng to swell the song,
Here’s a bumper to Christmas day.

Christmas greetings! Reta Kimball

So, yeah, it’s that season. You’ll see more of these the next few weeks, and we’ll return to mushy heart-infested stuff after the new year. K?

Offer valid for a limited time only. I’m not draggin’ this nonsense on throughout the month.