Merry Christmas, part one

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted an update! But as Bob Cratchit says to Scrooge in "A Christmas Carol," "I've been making rather merry." So just what exactly have I been up to? I've been playing Santa by baking (or at least helping Brian bake), working on a few homemade gifts (one of the favorite things I've done this month) and shopping. (In some cases, several times. Like when Amanda told me the day after I bought her a red cashmere sweater that she loves her new red cashmere sweater she bought herself! ACK! Hope she loves the gray one I exchanged it for just as much.)

Here are a couple of additional highlights:

Book club: We gathered at Bonnie's lovely abode for our annual Christmas book exchange. I hadn't even cracked our December read, "Anna Karenina," but I was excited for one of my gal pals to read "Love, Greg and Lauren," which I brought for the dirty Santa book exchange. Carrie wound up with it and read it quickly, so she and I already have had our mini book discussion about the tear-jerker.






In the meantime, I've also read two Christmas books on my own: "The Paper Bag Christmas" by Kevin Alan Milne, a touching new novel I would highly recommend. (I've already loaned it out, if fact, in hopes that it would add to a friend's holiday.) I also read the oddly similarly titled "The Christmas Box" by Richard Paul Evans, a cloyingly sappy novel I would not recommend to
anyone. I have not loaned it out. And won't. (You're welcome.)
















Brian (with Dakota's help) has gotten some reading in, too.


I've also busied myself with babysitting my adorable nephew. And having shameless little photo shoots with him. (Brian had this giant stocking when he was a kid, and we hang it up in our basement every year for nostalgia's sake.)






More updates to come soon!