Merry Kiss-mas

After Nana's comment on the Christmas Survey, I remembered that a sort of odd place where I have decorations is my fern. I call it the Christmas Fern. In fact, I've changed the song from "O Christmas Tree" to (yes, you guessed it) "O Christmas Fern." A good friend of mine gave me this fern for my birthday, & I get comments on it all the time. I say "comments," rather than "compliments," because I think when people see it, they aren't sure what to say. It's huge & healthy & gorgeous (for a fern, anyway). And now it has some lights in it (which don't show up in the pictures) & a beaded garland & some small ornaments. Dan laughs at it, but I'm proud of it. What do you think??



I am just about through with my Christmas shopping. I think it's the longest I've gone. The first couple of years after Dan & I were married, I started shopping during the summer, & was done by Thanksgiving. But it gets later & later each year. A few weeks ago, I said, "Oh no! I haven't done any of my shopping yet!!" Of course, you know how frustrating it is to even be out with all the extra traffic on the roads & shoppers in the stores. ERRRRR!! It can try even the most patient people. In the past few years, I have come a LONG way to being more patient on the road (yeah, I'm a little bit proud of that). Still, when idiots abound on the street, it is hard to stay calm. So I want to leave you with some encouragement to do just that ... stay calm. Take the extra second at the stop sign to make sure no one's coming. Take the extra moment to check your blind spot before changing lanes. Better yet, don't change lanes as often (the other lane's not really going any faster anyway). Put more space between you & the car in front of you. Don't pull out into an intersection if traffic is backed up enough that you might not make it through (the main source of my own frustration the past couple of days). So many more people are out on the roads, & so many of those people are in more of a hurry than usual. Take your time. The extra seconds, even minutes, are worth saving you from an accident.

I want you all to have a safe and happy holiday. Love your family and friends, & forget about the stress and frustration. I'm sending you some hugs & kisses to share with your loved ones. His blessings to you, now & forever.