Another of my favorite holiday movie pairings – Its starting to really feel cold outside, which means it is the perfect time to put on some jammies and curl up with a cocoa, whipped cream and candy canes for the Polar Express.  If only waiters would come clear away my dishes too!

A simply fun holiday tradition! Invite the cousins or neighbors over for a holiday pajama movie party.

It is holiday movie time – and for me that means a whole season worth of nostalgia.  For certain films we make an easy evening tradition of a family film with a themed dinner.  So first up for this weekend is A Christmas Story.

I can never sell red cabbage and meatloaf as a meal, so of course the correct pairing with A Christmas Story is Chinese food from your favorite take out. More power to you if you have a bunny suit from Aunt Clara  to wear, or a Red Ryder BB Gun.

I really love poetry and  it feels like the running commentary in my brain is poetry.  Sometimes iambic pentameter, more often silly child like rhymes and a lot of times more of a prose poetry is creating a little podcast in my head about the world around me.  If I am lucky, I will have a journal and pen ready to record some of these, but a lot of times they remain just a little sparkle in my day.

Once in a while I go on a Haiku binge and love to make up as many I can with the time I have.   Today I needed a little boost in creativity and pulled out the sort of Magic 8 ball of poetry –  Haikubes.

The first way this fun little set works, is when you pour them out on the table,  it makes a tremendous clatter – jolting you out of any sleepiness fog you may feel and instantly giving you a purpose. Which is a great diversion from trying to figure out how to snap out of it for me.

Then the fun begins.  I like to set a little five minute timer, and just see what I can come up with. Today I rolled the directives of “A Vision for” and “My Work Life” which was instantly felt like a lot of pressure – could these little cubes tell me something new about my work life? With only the words in the pile to help me out I set to sorting, playing with language and figuring out what the Magic Haikubes had to show me. I think these little cubes definitely had some good things to say, and helped me out of my fog!

dilemma embraced

friendly dancing happy heart

with my mature grace

My thrifting adventures this morning took an unusual turn as this seemingly friendly little clock was tick tocking every time I walked by.  I didn’t really pay attention at first, but then I looked to the high shelf where it sat passing time.  I am going to just think it was lonely and looking for a home after a lifetime of love and play.

Luckily the thrill of finding one of my very favorite decorative plates was more than enough joy to counter the sadness of that little clock. I just love this series from Gone with the Wind.  They show up all the time. Some day perhaps I too can hang them on my wall, but until then, they are a treasure in my weekly hunt.

It is barely November, and I generally have a rule that all things Christmas need to wait until after Thanksgiving. But – this little side project took a productive and exciting turn as I found myself free for a solid 24 hours, and I am eager to share it.

For several years I have wished for a way to find the kinds of things I like to put in stockings easily, especially when shopping at the last minute, which usually involves Amazon free or prime shipping. So this year I decided to do something about it and have used my time to curate and share a list of fun ideas to stock your socks!

Stockings should be fun, and it is even better when the surprises inside can be useful too, or little things that make life more enjoyable and easier. Mostly it is about delighting, exciting and sharing a moment of Christmas magic no matter how old of a kid you are.

So – enjoy! Get a head start or reference these ideas and links when you are in the dark hours of a mid December evening.

Stuffing Stockings