The snow is deep and sticky, I drove to my daughter's with all the presents I have, and spent the afternoon there, exchanging gifts, eating what her husband had prepared.  He's a chef, and it was quite a feast.  Smoked salmon, mussels drenched in garlic butter and parmesan cheese, and Italian beef sandwiches with au jus.   And many raw vegetables, dip and chips, cheeses and crackers.  A good time was had by all, and there was no room in my tummy for blueberry pie.  I received cameras from my son, and took pictures of everybody, plus a picture of a pileated woodpecker going at their suet outside.

But I was home by 5:00, had a nap, then spent a late evening visit with my friend, John; finally, went to sleep about midnight and up again this morning, I will be going over to my daughter's again later.  John has a lot of family up for the holiday, so don't expect to see much of him today, either. 

So for Christmas, I got 2 wedges of asiago cheese, a big slab of smoked salmon, a Hillshire Farm sausage, holistic treats for my dogs, an air purifier, "The Hidden Messages in Water" by Masaru Emoto, "An Inconvenient Truth" DVD by Al Gore, 3 throwaway cameras, a bottle of Frangelico, the complete Jerry Seinfeld shows on DVDs, a wicker basket, candy, cupcakes, even a bag of tortilla chips, a Harley Davidson cuddle wrap from my brother, $100.00 from my other brother, so I can afford to drive down and see him, and $40.00 from my sister.   

I seem to like lists of things, and often make up lists in my head as I'm falling asleep (takes the place of counting sheep).  "Things That Could Get You" is a favorite, like crocodiles and tsunamis.  "Things To Do Before You Die" is another and definitely puts me to sleep.  And "Seeds on Hand" etc.  But there are many lists; I heard there was a book published of some person's lists.  I would like to find that book.  I'm sure it would be very inspirational. 

I feel that I received more than I gave; I know that's a fact, but I didn't have much money this year, and tried to get everybody to see the wisdom of not spending too much.  I gave an electric hand mixer, many dish towels and hand towels, pot holders and mitts, energy-saving lightbulbs, a wrench, Suse Orman's FICO kit, loaves of wild rice bread, jars of strawberry jam, quarts of applesauce, Sudoku and crossword puzzles, 2 magazine subscriptions, 3 bags that compress your stuff into flat pancakes for storage, a set of southwestern-inspired bell chimes for a patio featuring Kokopelli, a set of books about gardening, and that's about it.  Maybe I'll take advantage of after-Christmas sales this year and do some more shopping.

And my son just called, so I have to leave now and get over there again.....merry Christmas and happy holidays to all!