Christmas blues

Well, it's over. The mad dash to buy, prepare, wrap, bake, clean, and anticipate has come to an end for most of us. The question is: Now what?

Like many people, I always feel a bit 'let down' once Christmas Day has come and gone and the mounds of torn wrapping paper, gift packages and candy wrappers have been cleaned up. It's not that I didn't have a good holiday -- it was fantastic! Each family member was happy with their gifts. We had few arguments and no mishaps that required emergency room trips. ;) We had a pleasant visit with relatives and most of the cats got along peacefully -- that, in itself, a major accomplishment.

But it's over. We dedicated almost 100% of our time and resources to preparing for this one, singular day. Once that day has passed into history, we're often left feeling a bit, as my son would say: 'meh'.

This year, I came to a realization that has helped alleviate a bit of the blues. The journey is what's important, not the destination -- a lesson on the whole of life, as well as the smaller journeys within. The entire trip from late fall to Christmas morning brought with it joy, frustration, good will, irritation, and peace. An odd combination, to be sure.

So I've accepted early on that I would feel a bit 'meh' on this, the 27th of December. But it's a good 'meh'. ;) It's not exactly depression, it's just a bit of sadness that another special milestone in life has come and gone. There will be many more. And the journey to those will be just as chaotic, emotional, sometimes dull, and possibly exciting and exhausting.

I accept the 'meh'; I accept that while we keep up with certain traditions, as our family grows the holiday must grow and be flexible, as well. Best change of all: the children now let me sleep past the break of dawn on Christmas morning.

While I don't necessarily make New Year's resolutions, I do have a special wish for each and every one of us. I hope we each remember to enjoy the journey, every step, every day of the way.

Happy New Year!

Meg Allison

Indulge your senses...
http://megallisonauthor.com

Grandma Got Run Over By a Shopper

‘Tis the season of peace and joy, or at least that’s what we're told from childhood on. The truth is that anybody who has ever had to go in a store--for anything--between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day knows that people are generally not in a good mood. Drivers lose the ability to drive. Shoppers are rushed, rude, and exasperated. People in general are not at their best.

Why is this? The crazy pace of modern life is a big part of the problem. We are expected to do more, faster, than ever before. There is also more stress than ever before, which definitely contributes to the problem.

On the other hand, this rude attitude has been around for a long time. One of my first memories of this time of year is being knocked down by a woman and her shopping cart. She didn't even apologize. I suspect the exhaustive, crazy, overwhelming feel of this season is mostly caused by the pressure to have perfect holidays, combined with guilt if you don't spend a large amount of money on perfect gifts, food, decorations, and clothing.

In other words, the winter holiday season has been hijacked by retailers. The more the pressure to spend, spend, spend (even on Thanksgiving Day!), the more money the big corporations can make.

Now I have nothing against retailers making money, but my humble opinion is that things have gotten way out of hand. The answer? Beats me. I just hope there is one.

Have a wonderful holiday season,and please don't let it get to you. The important thing is family and friends. And enjoying yourself!

Technorati Tags: Cheryel Hutton,Holidays,Christmas,Hannukah,New Year,shopping,rude,stressed,retailers,money

Cheryel

www.cheryelhutton.com

www.facebook.com/CheryelHuttonAuthor

twitter: @cheryelhutton

Wait... where did October go?

I've been trying to figure out how to post about vanquishing personal ghosts with my writing...and then I realized it's the first of November. How did that happen?

What scares me the most -- besides losing track of time -- is that I know things will go into hyper-speed from here until the end of the year. While the children and the obnoxious signs at various stores and in ads will remind me there are only "x" days until Christmas, I will feel my sanity and patience slowly slipping away with every interesting rendition of classic carols played over and over and over.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Scrooge. But you wouldn't call me Mrs. Claus, either. ;) I do love Christmas; I just dislike the rushed-panicked-commercialism feel associated with the holiday. It's still an exciting, joyous time for me, but I also manage to get at least a bit stressed out.

Added to all the holiday preparations: we have an early December birthday in our house AND the fact that yes, I am actually writing again... How many hours are there? Only twenty-four? Now I know what I want for Christmas. ;)

So how do you keep on track with writing -- or anything else -- during the rush of decorating, shopping, baking, and more shopping? That's a really good question. I think I'm slowly figuring it out -- for myself, anyway.

Number one: I could try NaNoWriMo ... that craziness that involves a commitment to write 50k during the month of November. No editing; just writing. It's a competition between friends, colleagues, and mostly with ourselves. It's crazy. It can be stressful or it can be a fantastic motivator. I tried it last year and failed miserably. But others succeed and go on to publish their NaNo books. Kudos to them!

However, the motivator which is currently working for me is the fact that I have discovered my capabilities as a writer. I can actually do this -- and a lot of this -- in a short amount of time. When I have to. When I make myself do it. I have some very batty friends to thank for this discovery; and at least two children who will never let me forget it. :)

Not only is that a wonderful, affirming revelation, it's also a kick in the rear. I can do better than what I've been doing. If I can write 9k of a story that I'm really writing by the seat of my pants -- i.e.: I had no idea where the hell the plot was going -- then I can certainly do just as well with stories that I have mapped out in my head; stories in which the characters are as real to me as my own family.

So, I suppose my main advice is that to keep on track during the holidays, you need to find a whole boatload of self-discipline, which will be followed by a bit of success, and hopefully that will give you that confidence boost you need to carry on.

But there must be other tricks we use to keep on track, right? If you have a few, please share. This is the season of giving, after all. ;)

Meg Allison

Indulge your senses...
http://www.megallisonauthor.com

Merry holidays!

However you celebrate the return of the light, may it be filled with blessings. :)



Dia duit,
Carolan
www.carolanivey.com

13 Things That Did Not Happen In Claustrophobic Christmas

13 Things That Would Have Made It Even Harder for Darcy and James to Get Their Romance On

My latest Samhain release doesn’t have anything paranormal in it, I'm embarrassed to admit. It's the tale of snow-crossed lovers stuck in a holiday traffic jam on the interstate. I know, I know, how can you make a sexy situation out of a traffic jam?? Well, let's just say it was cold and they needed to cuddle together for body heat.

Anyway, a reader / Meankitty fan emailed me to say the book would have been a lot funnier if one of the protagonists had been travelling with a bad cat. Yes, yes it would have. But would I have been able to make it a sexy romance? I'm not so sure.

So here's a list of 13 things that would have seriously challenged to my ability to make this traffic jam tale romantic. (Meankitty helped make this list.)

1) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat.

2) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog.

3) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog who had recently been sprayed by a skunk.

4) One of the protagonists was travelling with a bad cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog who had recently been sprayed by a skunk and also had diarrhea.

5) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog with diarrhea who had recently been sprayed by a skunk and it was not just any dog but a Saint Bernard.

6) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad dog with diarrhea who had recently been sprayed by a skunk and it was not just any dog but a Saint Bernard. Also, the Saint Bernard was named "Dumb-ass."

7) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car.

8) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car and ran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser.

9) One of the protagonists was travelling with a cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car and ran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman.

10) One of the protagonists was travelling with a wonderful cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car andran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman. When the protagonists went after the dog, the policeman thought it was a set-up and whipped out a gun.

11) One of the protagonists was travelling with a lovely cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car andran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman. When the protagonists went after the dog, the policeman thought it was a set-up and whipped out a gun. He arrested the protagonists for public indecency and arrested the dog for assault and battery and...other stuff.

12) One of the protagonists was travelling with an oh so well behaved cat...and the other was travelling with a bad Saint Bernard with diarrhea, Dumb-ass, who had recently been sprayed by a skunk, and all of a sudden, because the protagonists were being romantic instead of paying attention, Dumb-ass escaped from the car andran across the road, where he jumped in the open window of a police cruiser and started homping the policeman. When the protagonists went after the dog, the policeman thought it was a set-up and whipped out a gun. He arrested the protagonists for public indecency and arrested the dog for assault and battery and...other stuff. Their brief stay in the county lockup fostered great resentment in the protagonists for one another, as each blamed the other for having the great idea to pass the time in the traffic jam with some sexxy sexxy, and they never spoke to each other again.

13) One of the protagonists was travelling with a very smart cat...who cleverly hissed at spat at the dog-owner until the romance was nipped in the bud before any of that crap happened. But it was a pretty good story about a cat and her human, in the end.

If you'd like to see how the story ACTUALLY went, you can check it out at my website, where there are buy links and the first chapter is free. Neither Darcy nor James has a pet :).

So, would you read Meankitty's version of the story? Would it be romantic?

Jody W. (w/a Ellie Marvel)
Claustrophobic Christmas - November 2011. All ice will melt.
www.elliemarvel.com * www.meankitty.com

I know not everyone here belongs to the same faith, but I do believe that we all strive toward a common goal and so, at this season where we celebrate the birth of One who came to give us life, I wish you all a very merry Christmas.

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and

on earth peace, good will toward men.

Sela Carsen
www.selacarsen.com

Holiday Contests and a little Crow...

No need to roast that lucious turkey thawing in my spare fridge. I'm having nice tasty crow for my holiday meal.

:) For the past two years or so, I've been on a rampage. An ANTI-SONY READER campaign.

When the Sony Readers came out a few Christmases ago, my husband braved life and limb to find one for me. It was wonderful. I fell in love with it the first time I held it in my hands. Like all passionate affairs, the initial lust factor lasted a few weeks and then began to settle.

The PRS-500, the first generation model, had flaws. As long as I was reading a book purchased by the Sony store or from a publisher who specifically formmated for the PRS model (Like Samhain Publishing), I was fine. However, books by other publishers and through other retail outlets didn't always wook well. More often than not, those books loaded in sucha tiny font as to be unreadable.

I finally resorted to trying to obtain help from the Sony Customer Support. After two weeks of emails back and forth with suggestions from them, and reports of failure to resolve the issue from me, the Sony Support representative finally sent an email saying they were aware of the problem and regretfully informed me that it would be resolved on the NEXT PRS model. In other words, I was out of luck and they were closing my case.

I was angry. Less than a year into ownership, Sony abandoned me with a critical flaw with my device. I read the books I had already purchased on it, but didn't buy any more. Eventually, the device was put back into its box and put away.

Sony offered to take it back on a trade-in when they came out with the PRS-505, but I was still upset at that point. I didn't want to give them any more money.

The PRS-505, Prs-700, and the next generation - the PRS-300 and PRS-600 - have improved upon the original. Each and every issue I had with my PRS-500 has been resolved and a few extra benefits added.

You can now borrow from your local library. Granted, it's a limited selection; however, it's definitely a start! I'd love to be able to borrow books for my daughter to read without having to drive all over town (or being stuck with them when her interests move on).

They are also now Mac compatible. My PRS-500 doesn't interface with my MacBook and the new firmware update option won't help that hardware problem.

They've changed their digital format to the EPUB standard. No more worries about where to get the titles I'm searching for. No more worries that the publisher my best friend's new release is out with can be read on the device. No more waiting for the Sony site to decide to carry the title I've been waiting for.

They've lowered their device cost. Whereas the first generation device cost $400, the newest generation weighs in at half that with the Pocket Reader's $199. And there's a new trade-in option ($50) for those of us still using the PRS-500 as paperweights.

There is still one major issue with the Sony Readers, but it's really only an issue if you're an international customer - and that includes a service member deployed to an overseas assignment and family members living on military bases abroad. The Sony Store will not sell books to foreign IP addresses. With the new EPUB format, it's not really such an issue because the same digital books carried at the Sony Reader Store (and more besides) are available at other digital retailers.

Anyone know a good seasing for crow? It's certainly beginning to look like I'm going to need it.

:)

Do you have an ebook reader on your Christmas list? If so, read on!

There's still time to win one! If you've missed it, there are a couple of Find the Graphic Scavenger Hunt contests out there.

The Raven Happy Hour (click to link) is giving away a Sony Pocket Reader, a $50 prepaid Visa, and a $25 Amazon.com giftcard. That's three lucky winners. Come Rock Around the Raven Xmas Tree with 30 great authors.

The Samhellion (click to link) is also having a Find the Graphic contest. There are still two readers to be giving away: 1 Sony Pocket Reader and 1 Kindle 2. One of each has already been given away.

And while you're checking out the Samhellion, look for the free Holiday Themed shorts available for download. Mine will be available on December 26th introducing the characters featured in my March Samhain release, BLOOD AND DESTINY.

Happy Holidays and I hope you get everything your heart asks for.

Christmas is a Magical Time

I was thinking the other day about all the "stuff" that comes along with Christmas/Hanukah/Kwanzaa/Yule. No matter your particular religious persuasion, this time of year always revolves around some kind of miracle. A miniscule amount of oil that lasts for eight nights, a virgin birth, light returning to the world, something. Even out here in the secular world, we have Santa, who manages to perform mulitple acts of B&E, leaving no trace and presents for good children in his wake. Anyway, it occurred to me that this is the one time of year when EVERYONE becomes a believer in the things we Fantasy writers work with every day: magic. Whether you call it magic or miracle is a matter of personal choice, but there's no denying that we're all inspired to put our faith in something we can't see.

In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, I've compiled a list of the twelve (of course) best movies that take us back to our optimistic childhood and remind us to believe in magic, if only for one month out of the year.

1)The Polar Express: A fantastic book (and Caldecott award winner) with gorgeous illustrations, the movie version is one film that does justice to its source material. Come on, a magic train that whisks you to the North Pole on Christmas Eve? You don't GET much more magical than that. I like to fancy that I, like the narrator, could hear the bells on Santa's sleigh, even though I've supposedly grown up.

2) Miracle on 34th St.: Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus. I don't think I can add expound on it any better.

3)It's a Wonderful Life: We all should be so lucky as to be given the chance to see how much of an impact we have on those around us and return to tell the tale. "Every time a bell rings, an angel gets its wings." Simple, childlike magic, but magic nonetheless.

4) A Christmas Carol: it's out there in a million variations, from Scrooged with Bill Murray to the musical with Albert Finney. If this story took place on any other night but Christmas, you'd call it Paranormal Time Travel.

5)Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: any movie that involves the Big Jolly Man includes some kind of magic. Flying Reindeer, one of which has a beacon on his nose bright enough to pierce through pea-soup fog? That's magic, baby!

6)The Grinch that Stole Christmas: either the animated or Jim Carrey version will do, but this is alternate reality at it's finest, and nobody bothers to even wonder-what the heck is a Who?

7)Frosty the Snowman: of course. Rudolph and Frosty are like PB&J. It's all about a magical hat that makes animates frozen water molecules. That's ALMOST a good premise for a Sci-Fi story.

8)White Christmas: perhaps not a magical story per se, but there's some kind of power at work at the end, when the warmest winter Vermont has ever seen suddenly turns into a Winter Wonderland, and enough is laying on the ground that a horse-drawn sleigh can move through it. Weather magic, maybe? Was Bing Crosby's voice enough to make is snow?

Okay, so I didn't make it to twelve. I leave it to you to find the last four. But you've got the idea. This Christmas, look at the wonder all around you, and feel the magic. If you can, take a little Christmas magic and carry it with you all year long.

Happy Holidays!

13 Rejected Holiday Outfits

What comes to mind when I say holiday traditions? Eggnog, carols, exchanging gifts, watching for snow? Families have as many winter holiday traditions as there are snowflakes, and most of them are anticipated year-round. Most of them are remembered with great pleasure for years.

Some of them--not so much.

In my life, a new and rather horrifying holiday tradition has taken shape: finding an appropriate grown up party outfit. Not the party I have with my writer friends--they love me no matter what I wear, which is a good thing, because I show up in some weird duds. No, this would be the hubby's office party, where I have to dress to impress my husband's coworkers and boss, and I can't spend a lot of money doing it. (The party budget gets invested in my hair.) Since I've been in and out of maternity clothes and up and down the numerical scale these past ten years, I haven't had any go-to outfits I could rely on. No classic little black dress. No magic pants and sweater. One year I even skipped the holiday party because the thought of shopping just made me too cross.

But this year, I'm happy to say this torturous new holiday tradition morphed into something less miserable when I found I was no longer alone. My younger sister, whose involvement in the field of environmental education didn't exactly require designer duds, has several parties on her schedule that require fancy dress, or at least dress that's fancier than jeans and hippy shirts. They're her fiance's parties, and so she's in the same uncomfortable shopping boat I've been in alone for ten years.

We just finished a marathon session in my extensive vintage collection, trying to find attractive yet unique outfits for her various party needs. Since my sister never reads this blog, I thought I might share some of the rejected items she will not be wearing to be glamorous at her holiday parties in 2009:

1) The dress that someone probably wore to a funeral in 1965. (I have no proof of this. It's just a feeling.)

2) The pink shiny mini with the ripped out armpit. (I told her I could fix it before her party, but the fact it barely covered her underpants was a bit of a deterrant.)

3) The black go go boots that were a size too small. (I thought you were supposed to be miserable when you look that good?)

4) The polka dotted 1950's taffeta party dress that was made of awesome. Too big of awesome. (My sewing skills do not extend far enough to remedy bigness, though they could probably ruin awesomeness.)

5) The crispy cotton dress that wouldn't have looked out of place on a cub scout den mother. (A wise choice, as her fiance sort of resembles a cub scout.)

6) The grey wool cape circa 1973. (Even though I told her it would probably be COLD and she only has a rugged barn coat for winterwear.)

7) The black tank top that did not match the black shrug at all. (That was just her excuse. It looked great, but she worried about being cold, and it really didn't match the shrug. It *did* match the cape, a fact she didn't appreciate me bringing back up. She wouldn't be caught dead in that cape. But do you think she might wear it to a funeral? Because that dress in #1 fit her pretty good.)

8) The muppet shirt. (Don't ask. And shut up--I *like* it.)

9) Anything with a turtleneck. (She has a bit of an obsession with freedom of the neck area.)

10) The black and red kimono missing all its snaps. (What, the matching gold safety pins weren't good enough for her?)

11) Striped knee socks. (Actually, she already had these on, and I made her take them off. They really soured her opinion of some of the garments. Honestly, I think if she'd taken them off before she tried on the cape, it would have been a winner.)

12) A jaunty neckerchief. (See: turtleneck. Also see: Dude, I'm not Rizzo, I'm not wearing a neckerchief.)

13) The green and gold lounge dress from the 70's I can't even believe I got her to try on just by pointing out it was mostly a Christmasy color (green) and would match the gold shoes she didn't hate. (But she took it off before I got back with the camera.)

***

What are your lesser known and least favorite holiday traditions? To suffer through them, I recommend proper companionship--like sisters willing to try on green and gold dresses from the 1970's and dance a jig. At least until the camera shows up.

As for me, I'm wearing black pants and a red blouse. I suspect the muppet shirt will be taken.

Jody W.
So much cyberspace, so little time!
www.jodywallace.com / www.meankitty.com

Lazy git

You know how everything always happens at once? Events never happen at evenly spaced intervals. Oh no. It's usually a bunch of vitally important things that you HAVE to be at, all overlapping by an hour, on the same day, across town from each other.

Welcome to my Friday.

I'm not actually here. I'm in Indianapolis. Or at least on my way there. I'm also blogging here at Beyond the Veil AND at the Samhain Blog.

So in the spirit of saying "I can't take it anymore!" this is nothing more than a blog post telling you to go to the Samhain blog to read the real post, which should, God willing, go live at 3pm EST. Given the way my luck is running, I'll come home to find that techno-wizardry has bitten me on the ass. Again.

I will be so glad once Christmas is officially over.

Whatta Rush!

Christmas is looming on the horizon waiting to swallow me whole. But even though I'm nowhere near ready for the big bad holiday monster, I'm not scared at all. Nope, I'm not gonna panic because I know that one of those wonderful alpha males I write about will save the day. He'll swing in on a vine made of tinsel wearing nothing but a pair of tastefully worn jeans. He'll come to my rescue and volunteer to do all that last minute shopping. And he'll do it with a sexy smile and a wink. Then, he'll give me an hour long foot massage. Oh yeah baby!

Yeah any minute now, it's gonna happen.

Where in the heck is he?

Okay, reality check. There's really no hyped up hottie coming to rescue me from retail hell. Nobody who'll come sliding in at the last minute bearing bags of toys for all the girls and boys. (Sorry Santa, you don't count) I'm not that lost in my own little fantasy world.

It's just me and my cute, quirky hubby against those who wish to sacrifice us upon the altar of capitilism. We'll arm ourselves with iced coffees knowing that if things get hairy at least we'll be highly caffeinated and can run away really fast. The credit cards will scream for mercy, however, we'll be firm and press onward fighting the good fight until good triumphs over evil once more in the quest for the perfect gifts for the ones we love! Or barring that, whatever's left after everything else has been picked over by the vultures also known as...

The Early Birds!

We don't like them, but we promise ourselves we'll be one of them next year. Yeah, we did say that last year, how'd you know?

Jenna

Tonight We Shop In HELL.. mart

Have Yourself a Scary Little Christmas

It's easy to assume that Halloween is the most paranormal holiday out there, but is that the truth? Let's take a turn around the Christmas Tree and perhaps we might start to feel differently...

Here's a festive ornament; Santa in his sleigh with a load of toys. A timeless figure who was been known by many names throughout history....Santa Clause, Chris Kringle, St. Nick, Father Christmas. He's been around for ages. Why? Because he's an Immortal! I wonder what he takes in return for all those presents found in our stockings?? Is he a big elf, or something else...vampire, fallen angel, a jolly Druid perhaps?

Next on the tree is a trio of his little helpers. Those industrious elves painting trains and rocking horses. Are they immortal like their boss? Or perhaps these elves are enslaved by some sinister magic?

Farther up on my tree I see a familiar fellow flashing his red nose. Good old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. Yeah, a deer that can fly and has a glowing nose--that's seems perfectly natural! Makes you wonder what kind of spell these poor animals are under. Or perhaps they are spirits trapped in the bodies of reindeer until they perform enough good deeds to be freed.

And who is this brightly painted little soldier? It's the Nutcracker. Reminds me of Frankenstein! I hope the only things he cracks in that jaw is nuts.

Frosty is peeking out from the wrapping paper below. A man made of snow who uses a magic hat to come to life. An Arctic circle golem! His could be a kiss that chills you to the bone.

Over on the piano my song book is open to "Hark, the Herald Angels Sing." Can you imagine how scared those poor shepards were when angels from heaven came a calling? Any holiday with angels, guiding stars, an evil king (Herod), and a baby who is the savior of mankind has the right elements for a paranormal legend.

At this time of the year who needs werewolves and vampires....we've got angels and flying reindeer!

Wishing you a joy as we start our holiday season!

~Margo