Awesome. There's a huge new one near my parents. I don't know why I'm so on the ball this year with Christmas shopping, but I sort of don't want to lose the momentum I seem to have. (Of course, next I'll spend three weeks not being able to figure out what to get the hard-to-buy-for people, but whatever.)

Michael's sells wrapping paper, tissue, boxes, tins, bags, and all kinds of containers.

If you are looking for really good deals go in the morning of/day all the Xmas stuff goes 90%. You can get wrappiing paper or bars of chocolate or whatever for really cheap.

Vehement hoorays for perfectly unremarkable, ita, and may that continue, along with the no-stick-having.

After decades of fraught tree-shopping with a must-have-real-cut tree H, we both are so laid back and easy-going about our collapsible, pre-lit fake tree inna box. I punked out on the ornament sorting pre-move, too. We have a few treasures, but the "meaningful" ones were all left behind. I mourned, for about twenty minutes and then? Lightness, freedom, forward-looking. Our outdoor decorations are the shame of our neighborhood. We're used to Old Salem standards of a single candle in the windows, a wreath on the door, a Moravian star on the porch, and a lit evergreen swag along the porch railing, which apparently are half-hearted at best, by the standards of our colored light-bedecked, flashing reindeer and snowmen on the roof neighbors.

I am tidying the bulk of my apartment, but I fear it's stuff not visible to the naked eye. AH, well.

In said tidying I am finding a shitload of stuff, and If I read the coupon right, you get $15 off for every $100 you spend at Teavana, so whoever yells for the code first can have it.

Timelies all!

Back from Darkover. Fun, as usual.

I'm back home. Waiting for the heat to start actually heating the house. Still kind of recovering from a conversation I had with some family members.

'Suela, you'll be sure you did the right thing very soon. It will just be her new normal. There are no words to describe the relief of having trained staff handy to take care of things that used to be your responsibility--both that she's better taken care of, with less upset, and that you don't have to do it.

It sucks right now, but very shortly it will be so much better. I wish her and you all speed toward "all better."

What she said, with a reminder that, in the meantime, a Pisco sour can help smooth out the transition.

I got a coupon from BevMo for $20 off $100, so I tried to take care of some holiday booze purchases. I always feel like a bit of lush when I shop at BevMo, and I don't usually buy $100 of booze at once. Today I feel supremely lush-like.

I am finally in my sanctuary, and man are my cats mad at me. Nunya is tearing up my 300 dollar carpet and Ply is acting rabid and only stopped growling at me when I groveled behind her, on hands and knees, thoroughly the whole apartment and then she deigned to let me give her scritchy scratchies. They are so coming to my parents for Christmas, I don't think any of us will survive otherwise.

Michael's sells wrapping paper, tissue, boxes, tins, bags, and all kinds of containers

OMG, that place is INCREDIBLE. This one is way nicer than the one in Queens, and makes me want to give everyone home made gifts. What, I have no idea (or skill), so probably not actually, but I seriously had to leave before I bought everything. I did get good half-price wrapping paper and ribbon.

I have found bliss in a bottle from Target. Dark chocolate covered almonds. Wow.