Merry Kiss-Miss

Good morning everyone!!!

we it's Christmas Eve and it feels like there are tumbleweed blowing through the internet....is anyone out there???

hello?????

(I think I heard an echo)

well today is not only Christmas Eve, but also a very special little non holiday for my bubs and I as it was 4 years ago today that we saw each other again after not seeing each other for many many (way too many) years.

the rest is history, our history, but as you can tell by the name of the fake holiday "kiss-miss" well when we saw each other there was a kiss that changed out lives.

So Happy Holidays to all of you out there, and a very special Merry Kiss-Miss to my bubs!!!

tonight is when we celebrate and do gifts as he works tomorrow, so I may be making merry and bright tonight...so, no bloggy blog tomorrow, this little Christmas elf is going to take a day off.

xoxo

Thank you

Good morning

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who showed such wonderful support during the crisis of the mean cheese, it really means a lot to me, I was very upset by her comment that she made as well as her subsequent email to me afterwards, but you were all so very right, I have to let it go. I am comfortable with myself, who I am and how I love the little meanie cheese, so that is all that matters.

Besides, there is one thing I remember from Catholic School besides getting detention for asking the priest if it was cool if I converted to Judaism....is that you should judge not lest ye be judged (I think that's right).

So there you have it.

So the holiday is fast approaching and things seemed to have sowed down in my shop, yesterday I spent the day working on a large commission for someone, and now that is finished I have a huge weight off my shoulders and am looking forward to making a bunch of aceos, I started making them the other day so I do have new ones in my shop, I took a long break from them but now I am back and I did miss them (isn't that strange?).

So besides making some little things I am planning my work schedule for the next few weeks, which involves 6 pieces I am making for a shop in California, as well as another commission, and several pieces for an exhibit for a gallery in MA (more details on both of these later).

So, it seems January is filling up for me with work, which is what I love. I also wanted to let you know that seeing as Valentine's Day is really just around the corner, I am accepting Valentine's commissions now, for a while during the x-mas rush I had to cut the list off, but right now I am back open, so get to me soon if you are looking for something special for your someone special....or if you just want to give a Valentine's gift to yourself.

:)

Oh...so yesterday my bubs' family sent us a ton of sweets and foods, so after eating some (a whole bunch) of cookies yesterday I am really really feeling sort of sluggish and sleepy and all I want to do is eat more cookies and take a nap...eeep.

Instead though I am going to play my new Taylor Swift CD and just pretend I'm her for a little while.

yeah she's 16 and blond but other than that....we're almost the same.

have a wonderful weekend, oh and the pictures today are of some new prints in my shop (I'm like totally in love with them...see I sound 16)

xo

Dear (Insert Name Here)

Dear Santa

I know, I have sort of waited for the last minute to write to you, but by now you probably realize that I am a procrastinator and well....a little lazy.

So I will get to the point....

for Christmas this year can you please make sure that you do not overload me with sweets, you see my bubs' family sends boxes (AND BOXES) of food to us, filled with all sorts of things that I cannot resist...cookies...cough...whoopie pies...cough. So you see, if you fill my Christmas sock with assorted chocolates I will most likely be diabetic by New Years, if you want to give treats, maybe some Cheese-Its, or some Luna Bars and Red Bull (sugar free)

Also, as you know I am really hard to buy clothes for, what with the being short but still having really long legs, also there's the whole "boobs" thing that Santas are always mystified by...so please just a gift certificate would be best, maybe something from Macy's...you know, if your looking for ideas

Books are always good, please check with my bubs, he has the list of vintage Nancy Drew's I still need, I am sure you could swipe some of those from your lazy book reading girl elves.

Most importantly this year I want happiness and health for my bubs, the mean cheese, my mom, me and everyone else I love.

oh, I also want a thicker skin and a better self esteem.

yours respectfully
Jennifer Gordon

Dear (Insert name here)

Dear Bing Crosby's Kids

how are you? Are you still alive? I sure hope so or this letter will go on deaf (or is it dead) ears.

Just this morning I was listening to a tape of the old timey Bing Crosby Family Holiday Special...it's awesome, filled with wonderful carols and all you kids singing. My favorite part is that it is sponsered by Charleston Cigarettes, the only cigarette with out a nasty after taste...it's smoooooooooooth.

or something like that.

Anyway, while listening I said to my bubs, I love Bing Crosby, to which he replied...you know he was an asshole, right?

really??? I mean I think I knew he had a problem with the joy juice and tended to be an oafish drunkard but was he really as asshole???

My bubs told me he read in a bio that Bing would get liquered up and then beat all you kids, and that you never wanted to sing or be on his shows, but the fear of abuse kept you in line.

That made me sad, much in the same way as when I heard the Nun from The Sound Of Music, in real life beat those kids too, that she did not bring songs and joy to the family but bruises and heartache.

so, Bing Crosby's kids wherever and whoever you might be...I just wanted to say, I am sorry he beat you and forced you to sing Silent Night in Latin on the radio...I hope if you are still alive that you can find joy in the holidays, I also hope you did not fall victim to the really awesome advertising plan from Charleston cigarettes....and you are not smoking a pack and a half a day of the only cigarette without that nasty after taste.....they're smooooooooooooooth.

happy holidays
Jennifer Gordon

Random Holiday Survey Part II

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? well, I like to toss a little egg nog in my hot chocolate, you know, instead of a splash of milk. I am gluttonous like that.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? he wraps them, even though wasting all that paper makes the environment cry....unless the packages are too big then they are just under the tree

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white lights only...though I'll admit to a string of colored lights on our dining room tree, but that tree is the gaudy one anyway, so it fits.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? no....because I am afraid I would be under it and my bubs would not kiss me and then I would spend the rest of the day feeling neurotic ands insecure.

5. When do you put your decorations up? right after Thanksgiving, but Christmas music starts in mid November.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? potatoes and bread, and dishes of little salted cashews (does that count)

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? The year there was a giant Cabbage Patch Kid crisis and they were sold out everywhere...my mom ended up getting one for me last minute from someone who had bought a bunch and was selling them at a high price...unknown to my mom, my father had called in some favors to someone he knew in Japan and had one sent to me from there. It was not the presents themselves that made the holiday, but the lengths that my parents went to to make me smile.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? a former bff found out and spoiled it for me....god forbid she allow me to be happy for one last Christmas (bitch)

9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Well we have one nice tree that is all red and gold Christmas balls, white ligfhts and ribbon, it's beautiful, then we have the other tree that has the colored lights and the misc. ornaments...I am still trying to get one more little tree for my studio. That will be pink, silver and black.

10. Snow! Love it or dread it? love the way it looks until about January 5th, then it should be gone.

11. Can you ice skate? no....there is a scene in The Omen II that sort of spoiled ice skating for me.

12. Do you remember your favorite gift? Victorian Dollhouse my dad made for me. Sadly it is gone now.

13. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? I would say family but I don't see my mom on the holiday so it actually is quite sad, so I would say the holiday is bittersweet now, but it reminds me of all the things that should be important.

14. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I can't play favorites with desserts. I guess I will say Christmas cookies and whoopie pies

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? People giving me presents.

16. What tops your tree? star

17. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? both, I won't lie, I ,love anything presents

18. What is your favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night

19. Candy canes? no, but one was attached to my latest electric bill.

20. Favorite Christmas movie? Little Women, A Christmas Carol

21. What do you leave for Santa? I eat cookies and skip the whole leaving and waiting game.

It's Random Holiday Survey Time

this survey recently made an appearance on Aaron's Blog, and Michelle's, and in lieu of any good ideas today...well, here you go.

Do you send out Christmas Cards? Explain. I will be sending out limited Christmas Cards...I am part lazy and part poor...

When do you start shopping for gifts? all year long I amass things, some people say I am prepared, I call it OCD

Who do you shop for? my bubs, his family, my mom...lots of people get things that I make them.

How are you doing so far with your shopping? almost done.

Do you put up a Christmas tree? If so, is it real or fake? Currently we have two trees and I am hoping for a third, they are all fake, as I have a horrible allergy to evergreen trees, so having one, well....it would put me in the hospital.

Do you like tinsel? nope, looks too trailer trash.

What do you do for Christmas Eve? do presents with my bubs, he has to work on Christmas day so this is our holiday, plus it is "Kissmiss" which is a special holiday for us, it marks the anniversary of us seeing each other again after many many years...and yes there was a kiss.

Do you hang your stocking? yes

Does your family read ‘T’was the Night Before Christmas’? no, then again, I am not a small child and the mean cheese does not have any concept of Christmas nor could she hear us if we read to her....though she does have a great concept for getting presents, so she's happy

What’s your favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Carol, followed closely by Little Women.

What’s your favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night, but only when sung by a male, and he MUST be a tenor....Maraih Carrey....nope, not at all

What’s your favorite Christmas TV special? Charlie Brown Christmas, and the Victoria's Secret Fashion show....they always play it around Christmas.

Eggnog or Cider? yes. Um both. That's like Sophie's Choice and I am not falling for it

What do you have for Christmas dinner? um....potatoes and peas and corn and bread, I guess...or chinese food, whatever

Do you participate in Secret Santa? no

Who gives you the most presents? my bubs.

Do you bake cookies? I eat them.

once upon a dreary Monday morning

morning darling ones.

yup is a dreary day today, it's almost 8:00am and it looks like night, one of those days that you wish it were still the weekend, and you were still in bed with your bubs (note I said your bubs, not that you wish you were in bed with MY bubs)

anyway....did y'all have a nice weekend?? Mine was low key but in a way, spectacular. We "Christmased" up the house, we have 2 Christmas trees and other little wintertime pretties al, over the place. You know what, it's really nice and it makes me feel good and very secure to see it.

what's up with that? Does that mean I am getting old? Seriously I could sit and watch the lights on the tree for hours, and you know what....at one point that is what I did, I curled up with my book and blankets and just relaxed.

It seems so long ago that I was involved in the hustle and bustle of our comic shop, and before that, living in NH and winter being the busy theater season.

It is all so remote, but in a good way.

My life seems simple and profound at the same time, my joy from the "little things" has grown tremendously, I think that comes from really being and love, and well...being poor. Now that I have no money, it really makes me realize what is important and what is not.

Seriously, I came downstairs at one point yesterday and noticed a few small presents with my names on them under our tree....and I almost cried, it made me so happy, not because I would be getting presents soon (though I do love that) but just the fact that my bubs got me stuff and secretly wrapped it already....well it touched my heart.

I don't know what has gotten into me, I am living in sappy city today....maybe it's all the holiday cheer.

So today, is what is known as "cybermonday" the busiest internet day of the whole year, the theory being this is when people start doing their internet shopping for the holidays, and now that they are all back to work, well....that is the perfect time to start.

I guess, or something like that. SO anyway, it's cyber blah blah....so that means I can almost guarantee that lots and lots of etsy shops will be having special sales (I know I am, hint hint), so if you have not started your internet Christmas shopping yet, now is the time for sure.

ok, I'm off...the picture shown today is of two new pieces, one is already available in my shop and the other will be listed later today.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

morning.

well we survived another mean cheese visit, this one was filled with a "little" less screaming and mood swings from little miss cheese, or miss mean, depending on the day.

so......................I love Christmas, there, I said it.

For years I was sort of a Scrooge, for no real reason, I just was, Christmas seemed like a whole lot of worry too much time being spent frantic and being shuttled from place to place for visiting, Me being overly self conscious and often shy, found these get ups to be rather frightening. My father too, seemed a bit nonplussed by the holiday as well.

You see he and I were always just a tad "too serious" for Christmas.

Sure, we did all the decorations and ate the big foods but there was something strangely tense about it all. Please don;t get me wrong, my childhood is filled with memories of wonderful Christmases with my family, but they still seemed a bit tense, and sometimes a little sad.

By the time I reached adulthood and was involved in my first marriage to that no good hippie, I just about hated the holiday, then my father passed away and it became even worse, where was the light, the joy.....I did not see or feel what anyone else was.

Then in an attempt to build my professional theater resume years ago, I auditioned for "A Christmas Carol" and landed a role (that year I was Belle, Scrooge's love), and something began to slowly happen to me over that production, when at first I loathed the songs and the hoopla, I did them because I had to, because there was a paycheck involved. But somehow the joy began to seep in.

I did the show for the following several years, and by the time the productions were done, I was a wee bit heartbroken.

I had learned to love Christmas, in my own little "England long ago" kind of way.

Then my bubs and I got back together, and low and behold, he loves "everything Christmas" yup, everything, we are already listening to the themed up music, and soon we will be watching tons and tons of Christmas DVDs.

it's infectious.

well, why the long diatribe of Christmas love today????? Well we got our tree yesterday, and for the first time in my life, I am now the proud owner of a "big tree" not huge like we wanted because we could not afford it, but we did get a a tree that is taller than us...

I am aching to decorate it, just aching!!! We have been wandering the Christmas sections of all the local stores and looking at the ornaments, it almost makes me cry, they are so beautiful, and not always but sometimes there is someone so sincere in the Christmas aisles that is feeling this strange joy too....and it both fills and breaks my heart.

It is strange.

ok, this is clearly enough babble for me, I will write more later about Christmas eve, or as I call it "Kissmiss" and why it is so special to my and my heart.

more later darlings.
xoxo