Last night, as the results of the election became a reality, Jeff, my mom and I sat in utter silence. Each of us did our own thing on our laptops with FOX news on in the background. Not a one of us really had much to say.
That somber mood continued through to this morning when we opted not to watch the news. No sense in pouring salt into the wound. For anybody who might wonder, that is also why I closed comments on last night’s post; I was too depressed to deal with any gloating.
The sun came up this morning, though, to another beautiful day in Southern Arizona. I’ve spent the day trying to pull myself from a post-election funk. And I figured that I’d pull out a post that will surely help lift my spirits.
It’s my Christmas favorite things list!
Yes, I too am annoyed with the Christmas trees that have popped up in the aisles of my grocery store. And the holiday-tune infused QVC commercials that aired today while we were watching GAC (avoiding the news remember?).
But….
I don’t know about you. Maybe I’m only speaking for myself when I say that I’m in holiday shopping mode. There really is no time like the present, though, to give you all some great ideas that will surely help stuff those stockings and fill the space underneath that hopefully-yet-to-be-chopped-down tree.
So without further ado:
Technically, this is an Envirosax reusable sack {38.00 for a set of 5}. But if you ask me, it’s more like a fashion statement. Now, personally, I use boring old black canvas bags with the grocery store logo splayed across the front of them. But if I had these, I’d feel like the Posh spice of eco-friendliness each time I whipped them out for use. They come in a variety of bold designs but this is my personal fave.
You’re going to both love and hate me for this. You’re welcome and I’m sorry. These are melt-in-your-mouth southern pecan pralines [starting at $26} that come straight from an honest to goodness old-fashioned candy kitchen in Savannah. I’ve been there myself and I can assure you that if you are a fan of pecans, or pralines, or really any form of sweet, buttery goodness you will, undoubtedly, fall in love with these. There isn’t a single thing about them that can be considered good for you, but the folks in Savannah love them and considering what a happy, charming bunch of folk they are how could they possibly be bad?
This is the Beautiful Faces calendar {$15}. It’s a must-buy for me year after year. It’s filled with truly beautiful images of children and teens who have Down syndrome. It makes a lovely gift for anyone and everyone who has been touched by someone with Down syndrome.
Aren’t these charming? I think so. These dish towels {$18} feature hand-embroidered detail. Order whichever of the fifty states you hold most near and dear to your heart. I loved them so much when I first saw them that I bought one for both my grandmother and Jeff’s grandmother for Mother’s Day.
This is the coolest thing since the photo book. It comes from Flip Clips {starting at $9}. It’s a way higher speed version of those little flip books our needle-nosed art teachers forced us to make while they sipped away at a cup of coffee and did a little flipping of their own (through the pages of a geeky romance novel no doubt). Oh, didn’t you have an art teacher like that? No? My bad. Anyway, what a perfect gift this makes for a geographically removed grandparent who misses out on the fun day-to-day experiences of a little one. The latest Karate achievement? A hip-hop version of the Macarena? You name it, Flip Clips can put it into action. Just upload a 15 second digital clip and they’ll turn it into a book. How cute is that?
See there? I feel better already.
I’m going to hold off on the remainder of my list for now. But don’t worry. I have plenty more suggestions where these came from.
Happy shopping.
