A Word About Christmas Trees

Wow. Death and destruction much? Because nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a raging fire...

 (Found on-line)

Busy, Busy, Busy

We got a thin layer of light, fluffy snow on top of the small amount that's already here, which makes me happy. Anchorage is nearly two feet shy of the snow that normally falls at this point in the winter.

All the presents we've purchased are under the tree, more or less. So that's one less thing to think about.

Gasoline has dropped to $3.04/gallon; with a 10-cent discount (affiliated with a grocery store), the $2.94 I paid yesterday was the lowest it's been here in ... what? Two years? Three? I can't recall.

Meanwhile, there's a lot going on: weekend chores, grocery shopping (some holiday meals coming up, don'tcha know), laundry, cleaning ...

We're trying to take care of all the things that drive my wife nuts on Christmas Eve, so that she can relax and concentrate on things she wants to do - like fixing the Christmas side dishes.

Younger Daughter the Pastry Chef has offered to prepare the meat and desserts.

Older Daughter got in on the act last night. It seems there was a candy mold in the pharmacy lab where she works as a compounding technician, for preparing certain meds as lollipops for kids. It's never been used, and probably won't ever be.

So, with her supervisor's permission, it mysteriously wound up in her kitchen last night (heh), wherein she made strawberry-and-rum flavored lollipops.

Yum!

Meanwhile, my Christmas present from my lovely, thoughtful bride was just shipped this morning, and will be here between Dec. 29 and Jan. 5 ... or so says Amazon.

I'm okay with that. It's a thing I've been wanting for over 35 years, and can finally afford to afford it. There's always been something we needed first, or some lean years when I wouldn't even allow myself to think about it. But now we can, so ... pictures will be forthcoming, once it arrives. :)

Christmas Cookie Rules

1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test, and thus calorie-free.

2. If you drink a diet soda after eating your second cookie, it also has no calories because the diet soda cancels out the cookie.

3. If a friend comes over while you're making your Christmas cookies and needs to sample, you must sample with your friend. Because your friend's first cookie is calorie-free (rule #1, above), yours is also. It would be rude to let your friend sample alone and, being the friend that you are, that makes your cookie calorie-free as well.

4. Any cookie calories consumed while walking around will fall to your feet and eventually fall off as you move. This is due to gravity and the density of the caloric mass.

5. Any calories consumed during the frosting of the Christmas cookies will be used up, because it takes many calories to lick excess frosting from a knife without cutting your tongue.

6. Cookies colored red or green have very few calories. Red ones have three and green ones have five: one calorie per letter. Make more red ones!

7. Cookies eaten while watching "Miracle on 34th Street " have no calories because they are part of the entertainment package and not part of one's personal fuel.

8. As always, cookie pieces contain no calories because the breakage lets the calories leak out.

9. Any cookies consumed from someone else's plate have no calories since the calories rightfully belong to the other person and will cling to their plate. We all know how calories like to CLING!

10. Any cookies consumed while feeling stressed have no calories because cookies used for medicinal purposes NEVER have calories.

It's a rule!

So, go out and enjoy those Christmas Cookies - we only get them this time of year, after all.

h/t Sandi-with-an-i

A Very Zombie Holiday Guide

Remember that the holidays will soon be upon us. So here's a friendly safety reminder from Team Unicorn:

Happy Thanksgiving & Snow Update x 2

Prior to our move to Alaska, my wife and I - and later, our daughters - did the three-family circuit for 25 years. There's nothing quite as exciting as telling your children, "Aren't those great toys? Okay, put everything away and get dressed - we're going to Grandma's!"

Once we moved here, that came to a screeching halt. We've had family here from Outside, for a holiday, only once; my wife's parents visited us for Thanksgiving in 2005, just about a month before my father-in-law passed away.

But after six years of holidays with just the four of us, we're finally starting to think that perhaps having some company would be nice. I don't think anyone is planning to come see us before next summer, although D & S might surprise us a bit sooner. Ya never know.

So we'll have a quiet day tomorrow, eating & making merry, and then the girls will begin putting up Christmas decorations. I'll stay out of the way, except for bringing up the larger & heavier totes, and the tree. Otherwise, my presence will not be needed.

So the plans are made, the pies are baked (younger daughter made four pumpkin pies for her first try, yesterday - my wife sampled the filling & pronounced it good), and the turkey is ready for roasting. And to make things just darned near perfect ... it has begun snowing. Yay!

Update: it began snowing around 7 p.m., with a forecast accumulation of 1". Shortly after the snow reached 1.5" deep, the forecast became "one to three inches." At 9 p.m., we have 4" and there's no sign of a let up. FINALLY!

At 8 a.m. Thursday, we have 5" of that one-to-three, with more on the way. Of course, that "more" is forecast by the same twits who said we might get three, so who knows? All we know for sure is that the "we always get snow on Thanksgiving" pattern is holding - and that's okay with us.

From Anchorage, I wish you & yours a very peaceful, safe, and relaxing holiday weekend.