Acknowledge your Seekrit Santas, and kick 2007 under the bus here...

Christmas tree decorating report:

8am: mr. flea is heading to Target for more lights (who'd have thought a 5 foot slim tree would need 2 strings!) and Casper is blithely decorating even though all the ornaments will have to come off later. Dillo is making the penguin ornaments kiss each other.

This is our first year having a real tree and I think I like it. Even if it is a Fraser Fir and not Balsam. We bought one of the cheapest trees on the lot (at the local Methodist church) and it was $35. The big ones were $125! We wanted a little one as we are pressed for space.

(Apologies if this is inappropriate for this thread; I get a little sad when the year-in-retrospect is full of woe, so I wanted to start the thread with some seasonal happiness.)

Mmmm, nothing like the smell of a real tree. I love reading the stories of Christmas preparation in this thread! You know the thread creator likes the picture of kissing penguins.

I am having trouble getting into the Christmassy spirit this year. I think having Thanksgiving week and the week after killed by bronchitis put me way behind.

Here's hoping that holiday baking prep today does the trick.

Dillo is making the penguin ornaments kiss each other.

Aw! t contemplates sending Dillo a copy of And Tango Makes Three

I'm heading over to my parents' place today to help decorate their tree. A few of our friends will be joining us. When I was growing up, my parents always used to encourage my brother and me to invite friends over for the tree-decking, so now that they've moved out here near me, they've started up the tradition again. It's always fun, lots of good food and holiday music and an abundance of goofy ornaments (most shaped like animals of one kind or another). If I've got time afterwards, I may go buy a tree of my own, even if it's just a leetle one. I like having a tree around for the holidays, all bright and shiny and beautiful.

11:11: first ornament casualty. Something I thought was plastic was actually glass. Emphasis on "was." Ooops.

Ohh! Holiday baking prep sounds good. I should do some of that to get in the mood. But then I would have to follow it with the actual baking.

I did watch the food network's history of Christmas foods. This year I may do my holiday cooking vicariously through tv. Less mess and no calories.

Fruit for fruitcakes now soaking in rum. Frozen butter now sitting on counter in hopes that it will unfreeze by afternoon.

Oh, I get to post the first sekrit santa thank you???

Well, my sekrit santa was quite imaginative. I got kidnapped. Yes, kidnapped. My dear daughter put me in the car and drove me to a secret address in San Francisco. There, she handed me an overnight bag and sent me into a nail salon. Ok, she followed behind me but in that salon I met the mastermind - LEE!!!!!

It was such a treat. We got mani-pedi's, joined by juliana, JZ, and sweet Matilda. We shared some bubbly as we got pampered. Then there was walking around and lunching before K-Bug took off with my car.

It has been a lovely weekend escape from my life. There has been slounging, and drinking, and Buffistas, and Supernatural. There is currently coffee and eventually breakfast with pumpkin pancakes.

Lee - thank you SO VERY MUCH. Hopefully you will forgive that post in bitches, eventually.

Oh, and apparently Lee has been conspiring with K-Bug about this for a little while and K-Bug is a little too good at keeping secrets from her mommy.

It was a great weekend for me as well-- Many thanks to Juliana and JZ and of course K-Bug for making it work so well.

And there are pictures! [link]