Let the Stealing Begin

It is December 4^th.  I have not bought one Christmas gift yet.  Scratch that, I bought two gifts for our staff dinner party, one for hubby and one for myself for our gift exchange.  However, hubby surprised me because he actually bought his own gift so I am ahead of the game with an extra gift already wrapped and it is perfect for someone I have in mind.

This time of the year is the only time I enjoy shopping.  I love buying for friends, and I especially enjoy buying for our staff gift exchange because there is a limit on the price of the gift (ours is $30).  This makes buying somewhat more challenging and you’ve got to be creative which for me is fun. I looked for a non-gender gift but was not too successful.    

We play a Chinese gift exchange game (has nothing to do with Chinese).  If you want to know the rules go here.  Essentially, everyone brings a wrapped gift and place it in the centre of the table.  We begin with picking a number to see who will pick the first gift.  Hopefully people will steal one another’s gift this year, last year everyone was satisfied with their gift and kept it.   Or rather, no one wanted to steal someone’s gift for fear that a fight would break out.  But this year, I’m going to steal to get everyone in the right mood.  So, if it looks like they really like the gift they've chosen no matter what it is...i'm stealing it!

P.S.  We really had an enjoyable time with everyone stealing and ending up with a gift they wanted.  Except for the person who was leading the game, she ended up with a beautiful basket of chocolates.  I knew she didn't really fancy them, and lucky for her I brought an extra gift for this exact reason.   She decided to let the chocolates go and take the extra gift I bought, which she loved!

 I know so out of character for me to be stealing, but I had to steal this mug! 

It's the Season to be Stressed...

The stress can begin with the first real appearance of winter. And so it begins; it has been snowing off and on for the last several days. For the most part, I enjoy the snow. What I mean is the new white fluffy powder that is easy to shovel, ski and walk on. However, it invariably turns heavy and dense, not to mention into slippery stuff thus less likable. It is officially a winter wonderland in Ontario, beautiful, but you have to either love it or be miserable for the next five months. I choose to love it. Okay, I don’t always love it, but do you blame me, after all winter is months too darn long?

However, it not just the snow and inclement weather that creates the stress this time of the year. This, coupled with the holiday season can create undesirable pressures for even the most level headed person. Both winter and the holidays provide us with a good opportunity to take it down a pace or two. There are holiday crowds everywhere, in traffic and in the malls forces us to slow down even if we don't want to. Oh, and the shopping, or in my case, thinking of shopping. I do all my shopping in my head first, and at the very last moment I will brave the shopping malls.

A method that helps me in maintaining a happy mood while shopping in the mayhem is to listen to my ipod. I set my playlist full of cheerful Christmas music with a nice beat. A sampling would be, Brian Wilson’s First Noel, Leon Redbone’s I’ll be home for Christmas, Kate & Anna McGarrigle’s Rebel Jesus, Colin James & The little Big Band, Baby it’s Cold Outside, and my all time favorite is Tom Jackson’s The Huron Carole.

I love this!!!

Another thing I like to do is to schedule a massage at the end of the week. Looking forward to a massage never fails puts me into a fantastic mood regardless of the situation I encounter while braving the hordes of shoppers. What are your rituals to enjoy the winter, and specifically what keeps you in that festive spirit while holiday shopping?

Are having a bad day, and need inspiration?

When the Last Page is Turned

I have just finished reading this book and this book. Both by the same author and both are an historical fiction, both brilliantly narrated, that took me to a place where past and present merge together in a compelling story.

I don't know about you, but as I near the end of a book I get sad. Especially if I am reading a good book with characters who are alive and dance in my head long after the last page is turned. Often, I will take a break close to the end of the book and ponder the storyline and let the subjects run amok in my head. I like keeping my favorite characters alive like close friends. I know that when the last page is turned all the characters will evaporate into thin air and will cease to exist.


But eventually I will finish the book. After all we all need closure, don't we?


One summer, I got into this romantic historical novel set in the 1800's and as I got close to the end I read slowly the last chapters savoring the every word before it all came to an end . To my surprised, it actually did not end but rather was to be continued in a series of five other books. Each of the books had over 1000 pages filled with this epic love story. Indeed, I was one happy camper that summer!

Done. Complete. Finished. Fin. End.


And sometimes it does not end. Diana Gabaldon's next book "An Echo in the Bone" will be released in 2010. Yay! More Jamie and Clare!!!! To read a excerpt go here.