Favorite Christmas gifts

In the foreground are the three sets of measuring cups and spoons from Williams Sonoma. This was a gift I'd asked for, and our son Sean bought these for me. I just needed a new set; Sean picked them out. They're substantial, beautiful, and (I'm sure) accurate. My husband gave me my favorite Chanel No. 5 perfume, packaged in that gorgeous red box. To the left is a bottle of olive oil with garlic. The spatula in front of everything is heat resistant, great for making and turning out omelets. Hmmmm! There seems to be a food theme this year, do you think?To the right is a 48-count box of holiday-flavored Keurig cups from Jay, who knows I love specialty coffees.

Our Christmas was relatively quiet, with just three people, but the gifts were just right--not too many but appropriate and appreciated.

Getting Ready for Christmas

I get lazier each year, it seems. This is the 13th of December, and I’ve accomplished almost nothing: a few presents purchased for parties (thus “required”), a few decorations placed, but no serious work done yet. There seems to be an internal shift to doing just what makes me feel good, and less of doing what other people might think I need to do; that’s not my family expectations – we all enjoy the very simplest things. It’s more the perceived expectations of those “out there.” I suppose I’m thinking of the magazine articles and all the beautiful decorations everywhere that made me feel  in the past that I should be doing MORE!!!! Maybe I’m finally learning some balance between what I think I should be doing and those things we deeply enjoy.