Skipping Christmas? [Nooooooo!!!!]

That's what I overheard yesterday, from two clerks at the local market. They're skipping Christmas.

No, people, no. Don't do that. You don't have to spend a lot of money... But please, don't make this recession worse than it has to be.

Support your local merchants. I plan to patronize a new store, The Sock Loft. (Owned by a theater mom. Although I didn't have to carpool her son even once this summer because I think he had to work in the sock store all summer. I'm not a real theater mom, like the Matron, I'm just an occasional theater mom.) But back to the socks? My Beloved Niece and her Magical Mother might get excited about that.

And then there's the Book Loft (no, the stores are not related). I'll buy Christmas books there. There is a Strega Nona pop-up book that looks delicious. Remember when the spaghetti pot overflowed??? Think of it in 3-D. And I hope they still have the Maurice Sendak Halloween pop-up.

Support the fine craftspeople that sell their goods on Etsy. Like Jen.

Or visit a local crafts fair. Like where I went this afternoon. And found some lovely handmade things:

A cat pillow in case our cat gets lonely. Or we get lonely for her. (The bright red blanket is in case she has a hairball there, because she's done that a lot in that spot. Yes, we are giving her hairball remedy stuff. But she's old. Hairballs happen.)

A necklace to go with my Christmas Party Dress (which I bought online at Coldwater Creek Outlet last year for $30).

Christmas gifts for the Beloved Niece and her Magical Mother. What, you thought I would show the gifts? I can keep secrets.

Other ideas:

Bake something for a friend. Marie has shared her scrumptious recipe for Pumpkin Rolls. These are totally on my things-to-do list.

Donate to a local rescue mission help fund holiday meals. Yes, they sent me two letters on the same day. I feel guilty.

Knit baby hats for Direct Relief International. My Lovely M-I-L is a regular contributor. And even I, the procrastinator, finished a few hats for them.

Offer services: Beloved Niece, do you want a free evening or Saturday? Because I'm hankering for a date with Mr. Thomas.

Give a useful gift. Movie passes? Magazine subscriptions? (The HH gets free gift subscriptions for Road and Track when he pays for his own, so those of you who got R&T last year? No surprise, you're getting it again.) Food and drink items are always welcome in our house.

Plan a lovely holiday dinner. Turkey is cheap. My guest list is open.

I know the economy is bad, but let's not give up on the holidays. Shop at the businesses that mean the most to you.

And we can blog about our holiday decorations, too. No charge for that!

How can we be both economical and support the economy at the same time?

What are your holiday suggestions?

Pumpkin Architecture

Ernest likes to build complicated pumpkin structures. Here's the 2008 model (the triple decker -- pay no attention to those other pathetic attempts. They weren't his):

I like his little hatchet:

I think he borrowed from his 2006 design:

And here's the 2005 edition:

Welcome to My Nightmare

Something's been off this Halloween. I didn't feel up to decorating or being creative or even participating in this exciting e-mail I just received:

Agent Name: Mr. Ken Smith
Tel:+44 703 198
8640
+44 703 198 8711
Email: ( mr.kensmith14@live.com )

This is
to inform you that you
have been
selected for a cash prize of
#1,000,000 (British Pounds) held
on the
20th of October 2008 in
London Uk.

Fill the below:

1. Name:
2. Address
3.
Country of Residence:
4. Telephone
Number:

Yeah, right. Welcome to my nightmare instead. Ernest and I were searching out great halloweenish songs, and of course Alice Cooper's 1975 masterpiece came up. Ernest likes Devil's Food with the Vinnie the P introduction...so I'm playing through the whole things on iTunes.

...And then I realized what's wrong....what's making me feel so discomfited...

dis·com·fit
tr.v. dis·com·fit·ed, dis·com·fit·ing, dis·com·fits
1. To make uneasy or perplexed; disconcert.

I didn't see Alice Cooper this year. THAT'S WHAT'S WRONG. So here's a little Alice, to make me feel better.



And I'm also thinking back to October 30th of last year when Bruce rose out of a coffin. But I'm coughing and sneezing and too tired to find a good Bruce video on YouTube.

"Happy" Halloween seems the wrong thing to say....So does Elvira's "unpleasant dreams..." so I'll just say Ah-CHOO and goodnight.

Live Halloween Blogging #3

In this picture... Ernest reminds me of Warren Zevon:




And Ernest looks a lot like his dad, too.


Hopefully he will be a great musician, but won't be an alcoholic who dies of lung cancer. And if the genetic gods are willing, won't lose his hair too early.


Here's a little Werewolves of London for your Halloween evening pleasure. I feel a little like Stevie Wayne. Is the fog rolling in?

Live Halloween Blogging Post #2

All hail Mr. Thomas, the BEE.

I'm just a bit misty now because Ernest wore the bee costume when he was LITTLE. And now he is the BIG guy kneeling next to his cousin.

Here's Ernest in the bee suit, way back in the 1998's.

Yes, it was a little oversized back then. And the knee-length shorts? Size four on a two year old...because he was "STURDY." But he stretched!

Live Halloween Blogging Post #1

6:22 p.m., Pacific Whachahoosit Time (please, do we set the clocks back soon because it is eerily dark in the morning???). It WAS 6:22 before I tried to upload the pictures which took a while, and then I lost something and had to regroup. Live blogging is not for me. I've got a massive internal edit function.

So... some time later..

The doorbell rang, and I found Tolouse-Lautrec at the door.

Truthfully, it was my nephew McQueen on his knees without the shoes. I reposed him with the shoes for greater theatrical effect. Because I'm that way.

McQueen and Ernest left for the haunted house. With a cell phone, just in case. But they are brave, unlike me. And McQueen's among his own kind (clowns).

Here are the intrepid adventurers.

Trick or treaters are slow right now. One group at 5:45, the next didn't appear until 6:15. Ernest is hoping for leftover candy because I bought a lot of chocolate.

OK, I've finally finished this (after a pizza break) at 6:35. No new trick or treaters.

WHAT IS HAPPENING???

Ernest is home.

OH OH OH Mr. Thomas is approaching our house. Post over. Camera ready!

6:40

Math Skills Pay Off

Ernest won the $100 "guess how many skulls are in the jar" contest at his orthodontists office!

There were a bunch of plastic skulls mixed in with a lot of candy, and the winner had to come closest to the correct number of skulls. Ernest said: "I used my math skills" to estimate the number. I suppose pi was involved somewhere.

He's pretty happy. I wonder what he will do with the $100? A video game? A sword? A giant Lego? Or just stash it away in his secret place?

If you won $100 today, what would you do? I'd go out to dinner!

Valentine Assembly Line

Ernest decided to make home-made valentines this year. He likes the woven heart, a traditional Scandinavian Christmas decoration. So he and I had an assembly line going for a couple nights.

We stuffed each heart with 3 Hershey's kisses. As you would expect, many kisses were eaten before they made it into the valentine. Ernest unwrapped a very strange looking one...

(Sorry the picture is not clear.) The unwrapped kiss on the right looked like a swirl of poo to us... ... ... OK, he's a boy. He ate it anyway.