Merry, Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas & Joyous Winter Holidays, Dear Readers!

-- From The Word-Whore Family

Christmas Aftermath

by Allison Pang

This is one of those times of year I have a love-hate relationship with.

On one hand, I do tend to get fairly jaded with the commercialism of the time. (I feel that way about most holidays, I guess - being obligated to act a certain way simply because we're supposed to. And yeah, that's probably me being a bit more grinchy then I should be.) And some years are better than others - the moment just clicks and it's all Silent Nights and O Christmas Tree and there's snow and lights and it's fun.

But sometimes it's more just like feeling the holidays are a hassle. They "get in the way" of everything I have to do. (Or just pile onto the load - whether that's having to clean or cook or wrap or whatever. And shopping for the kids is both fun and sometimes hellish - if you've ever been to a Toys-R-Us in that last week before Christmas, you know what I mean. Between the lines, the overpriced toys, the extra batteries, etc, etc. - it can be a nightmare of monstrous proportions.)

And family. Great if you all get along, but not so much if you don't. (And being married to a cop - well, let's just say there's a lot of domestic disputes that get called in around the holidays. Probably more when there's snow than not, but get a bunch of family all squished in and cranky with cabin fever/mixed with alcohol == someone's getting a frying pan lobbed at their head for cooking runny eggs.)

But maybe that's really the more important thing about these moments in time. Maybe it's less about what they're "supposed" to be and more what you make of them...whatever that happens to be.

This year it was all about the Air Swimmer. (Trying to get some video footage of me flying it around.) And sure, Santa brought it, but thus far? I'm the one grinning like a mad idiot and flying it around my living room.

And yes, the irony that I'd be playing with something that I often have nightmares about isn't lost on me, but maybe there's something to that too.

** artwork was a gift from Aimo (it's Dragon Age fangirl foolishness, but I lurve it.)

Ahhhhhh Chocolate, welcome home for the holidays.

It's Christmas, the most wonderful time of the year. One of the reasons that sentiment is true is this little chunk of wonderfulness.

The Terry's chocolate orange. Dark preferably, just because I ALWAYS prefer dark chocolate. But this little gem is available in milk chocolate and (shudder)white chocolate also.

They used to only be available here at Christmas which made them all the more special. (Now you can get them year-round.)

For the unfamiliar, these are globes of orange oil infused chocolate that are divided in wedges so that they look like pieces of an orange. Wrapped in an orange foil and about the size of your fist they are perfectly engineered to perform the best part of the Terrys orange when you are a kid.

See, if you just unwrap the foil then you are presented with what looks like a solid chunk of chocolate (which is just fine in most cases lol). But no! The magic of the Terry's orange is that you take it in your hand and you WHACK IT ON THE TABLE LIKE YOU ARE TRYING TO BREAK THE DAMN THING! Seriously, just pick it up and slam that little bastard on any hard, flat surface like it called you bad names.

Then peel back the foil.

VIOLA!

Now enjoy the best thing you ever had ever.
(Oh, and for me they are the BEST when they have been in the refrigerator for a few hours. Then they are refreshingly crisp.)

Y'all have a Very Merry Christmas. I hope you and yours are truly blessed this holiday season.