Traditions...

The holiday season officially kicked off today, as we dragged the ornaments, pre-lit artificial Christmas tree and various decorations out of the old attic. Other annual traditions didn't disappoint me today. They include various members of the family, including...

• Husband, who accuses me of intentionally maiming ugly ornaments that originated at Hallmark long ago. (Who could forget last year, when some skanky Santa ornament mistakenly fell off the table and lost an arm? That was big trouble for me. Guess my laughter didn't help.)
  
• Dog, who dances around said clutter, with plush toy in mouth, somehow loving the sound of crinkling packages, fake Fraser fur needles being arranged, and random things dropping. (I swear, it was an accident!!)
  
• Child, who walks in from outside play, claiming upset that we've started without him, and follows with a quick exit back outside to be with friends.

We did find a few surprises this year. For one, we discovered that our Christmas candles might not like it in the super hot attic. They took out their disgust by melting into favorite stockings and holiday table decor. Interesting creations...

Secondly, a delicate felt Santa suffered a gruesome accident while hanging in the attic during the year, loosing a leg. Husband, upon discovering it already hung on the tree, ripped the other leg off and replaced him on the branch. Hmmm, guess he's at least symmetrical now. Traditions...

Keanu Reeves? Are you joking?

How could I forget? A well-respected member of our family known as a most emotionally conservative "man's man" let loose at Thanksgiving dinner. His excitement over a new Keanu Reeves movie was challenged with cries of "You like that terrible actor?"

Let me tell you, his passionate reply transcended a mere defense of Keanu's tremendous acting abilities. His toe-curling response: "If Keanu Reeves walked through the door--right here, right now--and asked me to elope, I'd be like, 'Let's go.'"

It was a bit of a shocker for all of us. Well, we found a little treat for you on YouTube. This one's for you, Stevie!

Dear Sales Associate:

I am so sorry for the load of merchandise I left in a random location of Kohl's after catching a glimpse of the 60+ person line.

For some reason, I dedicated the greater part of today--the day after Thanksgiving--to shopping. Yes, I chose to join hoards of crazy people raping the racks of moderately discounted stuff for the bargains of the century.

There's a fine balance between finding something your loved ones REALLY want and just buying because they would probably like it and it's on sale. I clearly don't have enough patience for this. That's why I'm doing a little more peaceful, well considered shopping online and sparing myself the insane traffic and war-zone parking lots. ...But that's after the fact.

I also chose to finally treat my Honda to its long-awaited oil change today, which took only slightly over an hour (a vast improvement from previous two hour visits--that's with an appointment). We spent this time doing grammar lessons in the waiting room while annoyed grown-ups sighed and cast nasty glances conveying the obvious message: "I hate grammar! Shut uuuup! Spare the child!"

We're back at home, and a pizza is sounding really good right now. By the way, Alternative Gifts International is an awesome place to shop. (I know, I just mentioned it in yesterday's post, but really, you should visit it.) How did you spend your day?

Share your wealth, baby!

However cautious we may be about spending, our jobs and the possibility that the economy may go further down before a lasting upturn, our current personal situation is usually much better than it is for so many others. The truth is, many--not all--of us aren't really hurting. We're more affected by the perceptions and fears being circulated about possibilities that haven't yet touched us.

So here's a few ways to spread some of your blessings to others...and believe me, there's something to fit every wallet--even if it's only ten bucks or a few hours of your time. Some suggestions are:

• Getting your booty down to donate some time or energy to the food bank or Salvation Army. Here's a direct link to All Faith's Food Bank in Sarasota. If you contribute $1.00 to the All Faiths Food Bank, $.94 goes directly to the product and its distribution.
  
• Giving what you can to the Season of Sharing Fund, established to help families on the verge of homelessness. The money goes to agencies that disburse funds on an emergency basis. No red tape and no administrative fees. Every dollar goes directly to those in need. And you can choose whether your donation goes to Sarasota, Manatee, DeSoto or Charlotte County families.
  
• Purchasing holiday gifts from a really cool organization, Alternative Gifts International--a nonprofit group that works with organizations all over the world alleviating poverty, helping the environment, providing health care, etc. You can choose a very specific project with a very specific donation. Your gift recipient will receive a card explaining exactly what you purchased for them in their honor.

Just choose one...or do your own thing. But share the wealth, baby! The truth is, we never know when we'll find ourselves in a situation where we need a little help. If you think all people in distress are there through their own choosing or lack of responsibility, you may just have a little visit from Mr. Karma one day. Happy Thanksgiving!

Insomnia--Pour Yourself a Cup

Ideally, I would have a burning project that I just have to stay awake for. Or a great movie that is available only at this hour. But there's not much begging for a page-turning during this 1 am book of late November. I'm just up in a quiet house and even the dog has no interest in joining me.

So for now, blogging is the new reading--the new sheep counting--of a night without sleep. I probably did it to myself, hitting the sack at 8:30 pm after what seemed like an energy sucking day. Naturally, I'm annoyed, knowing that deep sleep will hit just before the alarm goes off. But instead of bitching, I thought I'd list a few things I'm really grateful for:

• Having a job. I know it sounds dumb, but really, I am so grateful. Things are pretty rough out there for a lot of people, and I'm thankful to be employed without a large, looming threat of "walking Spanish." (Read "And Then We Came to the End" by Joshua Ferris if you haven't already...it's hilarious.)
  
• Two living parents. Nerd & mom, are you reading this? Yep, I'm pretty thankful everyday that you're around and I don't take your presence and everything you do for granted. Mean it.
  
• A husband who's willing to go get new tires for me, do most of the cooking (to save himself from nasty casseroles), and be a supporting, caring partner. (Hey, I buy dinner a lot of the time, do the laundry, clean, and other stuff!)
  
• The reminder that I'll never get time back...ever. I probably think of this way too often (to the point of it being a doom and gloom type of thing), but I'm glad to live in the reality that I need to cherish each moment, even if it's the wee hours of the morning and I can't sleep.

What are you grateful for these days, and are you sleeping at night?

Ellenton: You Should Try It

Realizing the claim to fame for Ellenton is its outlet mall, many of you may have been up that way but may not have checked out the little crossroads for all it's worth. In your next scuttle up to the Columbia, Anne Taylor, Chico's and Nike outlets, may I make a few additional recommendations?

Pack yourselves a lunch, folks, and explore. Today I took my second tour in 6 months of the Gamble Plantation. It's a walk back in mid-1800's SW Florida--and well worth the trip. Our guide was a high school history teacher who drives all the way from Clearwater to volunteer there every Sunday. She's a big history geek as you might imagine, but let me tell you, her tour was the bomb. There's not much in U.S. history she doesn't know. And she was a great storyteller.

While you have your shopping shoes on, why not support some of the local stores where items aren't made by little kids in factories? When you walk in The Mermaid's Attic (right across the street from the Gamble Plantation), you'll feel like melting into sleep with the calm blue and white decour. Almost everything is either made new locally, or is vintage, adorable and in great shape. Very reasonably priced. You can find jewelry, peaceful home furnishings, beautiful ceramic bowls and a stylish and conversational store owner from North Carolina.

The Earth Box Research Center, supplying portable gardens of fresh, healthy veggies, is right in Ellenton, just 1 minute from the Plantation. It's a great place to stop and find a unique gift for your fam and friends.

Haven't been yet? Make an afternoon of it, and bring someone with you. It's a great place to share.

A Shaken Soda Can and A Karmic Mistake

I feel a bit like a soda can that's been dropped a bunch of times and is getting ready to be opened. I'm oversaturated with information from lots of clever people from all over the country and I'm eager to hatch out a plan to implement some of it in my corner of the world.

Tomorrow one of my favorite bloggers will speak. I've been wanting to meet Beth Kanter. Our brief conversation today revealed her as a genuine gal, full of informative wisdom and fresh with experiences from her work in places I'd love to visit. Have you seen her blog?

And there was good news for the cells in body--Loews did better on breakfast this morning and supplemented the regular lunch offerings with a good 'ole garden burger option. Alright! We're now at least getting to the 90's in terms of alternative food choices.

The Karmic Mistake of the Day: A large tray of cheese and fruit, a bowl of assorted nuts, and a $100 bottle of wine were mistakenly delivered to our room with a note to a gentleman I've never met. I called downstairs to inform them of the mistake, and the nice lady just told me to enjoy it. Repayment for the bowl of bare lettuce?