2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 25

"It came without ribbons!  It came without tags!  It came without packages, boxes or bags!"... Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!  "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.  Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"  --Dr. Seuss, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!

Merry Christmas

&

Happy New Year!!

Thank you for traveling through the year with me!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 24

"...A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, 
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; 
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, 
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose, 
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; 
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, 
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle, 
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night."
by Clement Clark Moore

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 23

"A sprig of holly lay by each plate, and nothing would do but each little Ruggles must leave his seat and have it pinned on by Carol, and as each course was served, one of them pleaded to take something to her.
There was hurrying to and fro, I can assure you, for it is quite a difficult matter to serve a Christmas dinner on the third floor of a great city house; but if it had been necessary to carry every dish up a rope ladder the servants would gladly have done so.
There were turkey and chicken, with delicious gravy and stuffing, and there were half a dozen vegetables, with cranberry jelly, and celery, and pickles; and as for the way these delicacies were served, the Ruggleses never forgot it as long as they lived."

--The Birds' Christmas Carol, by Kate Douglas Wiggin (1887)

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 22

From Home to home, and heart to heart, from one place to another. The warmth and joy of Christmas, brings us closer to each other - Emily Matthews.

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 21

Assuming that we're all still here and y'all haven't gone floating off into outer space, I present, for your viewing pleasure, Christmas Ornaments!

These are a few of my favorites...

We like to pick up unusual ornaments from places that we travel to, so a few years ago when we were on Grand Cayman I had to pick up this little guy.

This pic is a two-fer!  The little mouse eating cheese is a new ornament from a trip to the coast earlier this year.  Next to it is a Disney Cruise ornament from one of our trips.  It's a little plain, but brings back good memories!

This one is hard to see, but it's a lighthouse, from another of our trips to the Oregon Coast.

 

 And last but not least - Alaskan Lumberjack Mickey!!

Do you collect ornaments from your travels, or keep hand-made ones from previous years?  What are your favorites?  Share your thoughts below!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 20

It's almost time to hang our stockings!  Are you ready yet?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 19

Christmas Decorations - Part 3

Yet another Christmas decoration that has been in the family longer than I have.  What can I say, I like old things, and traditions!  The figurines are old and faded, and most of the angels have lost one or more wings each, but this Nativity set is one of my most precious Christmas decorations!

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 18

So pretty!  Anyone fancy a trip to London for Christmas?

Teaser Tuesday - The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just:
* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title and author, too, so that other Teaser Tuesday participants can add the book to their To Be Read (TBR) Lists if they like your teasers!

----------

So I finished The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, and enjoyed it so much that I immediately downloaded the second book in the series, The Broken Kingdoms.  It takes place a while after the first book ends, and instead of dealing with the ruling high society, seems to be focused on the underclasses.  So far I'm really liking it!

The Tease:

"...Madding smiled sadly. "That's different. We can die.  You mortals, though...Nothing can stop you from dying.  All we can do is stand by and watch."
And die a little with you."

 -The Broken Kingdoms by N.K. Jemisin

What's your Tease?

2012 Christmas Advent Calendar - Day 17

"At this festive season of the year, Mr Scrooge," said the gentleman, taking up a pen, "it is more than usually desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor and destitute, who suffer greatly at the present time. ... We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices."
- A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens