"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in the spring -- these are some of the rewards of the simple life. -- John Burroughs

I am really proud of my xmas gifts this year. For the first time I can remember, I know that each member of my family will be grateful and appreciative, and able to put to use their new things. I can't wait to give them!!!

I didn't shop for friends this year (Spider Monkey excluded), so not only did I have more money to spend on my family, I had less stress and a not-so ridiculous list. Today I must work. Ollie helped me tool around on my shopping and errands yesterday, a great companion for such things for two reasons: 1. his strong arms can easily carry those heavy shopping bags, and 2. he shares my cynical, sarcastic temperament towards other shoppers, thus provides all the jokes and comments I didn't think of.

I'm looking forward to this weekend! Looking forward to sharing xmas eve at my sister's home, with dinner and songs, xmas morning with my friends at Ben and Grace's (the only place to be for fabulous entertaining), and xmas day and evening at my mom's, exchanging gifts and spending time with family.

That means these next few days, I'm working all day to be productive and thus stress free for the weekend.

Oh, the fun to be had by all!

-Barbarella

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