The Glowing Edge

Tag: christmas

  • The Amount of Fun You Can Fit In A Sock

    The Amount of Fun You Can Fit In A Sock

    Beanies fit nicely into a sock. Stockings are the best part of Christmas for this very reason.

    We’ve always been light on the gift-giving: each child receives two to four gifts under the tree, plus a stocking. The husband and I don’t exchange gifts at all (why on earth would we need to?). For some unknown reason I suddenly decided, while we were all having dinner together before the holiday, that our boys are ready to transition entirely to stockings.

    Our family has all we need and more. The gift-giving craziness is just not something we engage heavily in, although a little of it was fun when they were small. But the youngest is now 10, and they are ready to grow up a bit.

    So between bites of ham, my mouth decided to announce it before my brain had actually had a chance to consider it first. The amazing part is that everyone seemed pretty fine with the idea. Guess they like the stockings best too. Of course, I have pretty awesome kids.

    Here’s what the Ice (age 12) received in his stocking this year. Each one was a bit different (the Maker’s had a pocket knife and sharpener, the First had a pink LA Boxing beanie, etc.), but this gives you a pretty good idea of how much fun fits into a sock.

    • Justin’s Natural Almond Butter (squeeze pack)
    • Axe brand “Shock” shower gel
    • Jelly Belly 20 flavor box
    • Wrigleys “Elixir” gum, 3-pack
    • No Fear “Bloodshot” energy drink
    • Personalized business cards and holder (Cool idea, Gram!)
    • Crossword puzzle book
    • Tantrix puzzle
    • Colored erasers and paper clips
    • Glo Beez toy
    • Mentos
    • Magnetic bookmark
    • Hershey Kisses
    • Mini Twix Bars (I required a tithe of these)
    • Axe shampoo/conditioner and deodorant
    • Giant light-up color-changing bouncy ball
    • Turkey jerkey
    • Black LA Boxing beanie
  • The Plugged-In Prayer, with Food

    The Plugged-In Prayer, with Food

    During the Christmas holidays during the year the First was four, our electricity had been out for a good part of the week due to a freak NC snowstorm. Because of the timing, it made a pretty big impact on the First. Shortly after the drama had subsided, we once again made his favorite comfort food — using electricity — over which he said this prayer. He was elated to have things back to normal. (I can’t imagine why the Altoids made it into the prayer, though.)

    Thank you God for Altoids and the lights that are on, the electricity that came back on a few days ago, and for that red stuff. Also for mangos, and what’s that stuff? Macaroni and cheese. Amen.

    “Now,” he announced to the two of us, “Let’s sing ‘Kookaburra!’”

    Image by willapalens

  • Olive and the Baby Jesus

    Olive and the Baby Jesus

    This is our family nativity set, dutifully brought out every year, repeatedly organized by miscellaneous boys, periodically misplaced, wholly enjoyed. Joseph is always the most dishevelled looking; once his hair came partially unglued he was never the same. Several animals have disappeared over the years (I personally miss the chicken), and once in a while people mistake the llama/goat/donkey boy for Jesus, but typically the baby Jesus — whom we keep tied to Mary so he doesn’t wander off — is the star of the show.

    Until Olive came to live with us, that is.

    Nativity plus OliveShe loves the nativity barn! She hasn’t actually met the Baby Jesus yet ’cause she keeps sitting on him (hate it when that happens), but I think he’s probably used to this sort of thing. Olive sits on us all the time too. It’s what kittehs do.

    You can see more of Olive and the Baby Jesus on my Flickr; be sure to turn on the titles, cause they’re lol-y.

  • The First as Gum

    The First as Gum

    Tis the season, I suppose.

    doublemintgumOur new girlfriend (er, the First’s girlfriend, technically) gave him this lovely and stylish hoodie for Christmas and I like it a lot. However, he was told at school today that he made people want a stick of gum.

    I kinda like that, as part of his personal brand. So long as there aren’t TWO of him.

  • Best Christmas Video EVER

    This is so me, without the New York Jewish mother bit. Or the red hair and five o’clock shadow. And those outfits, yikes! But, you know, it’s me.

    I LOVE the tree! I don’t love the mess or the work but I love to have and see and enjoy the tree. And it really does completely interrupt your life — potentially in a good way, of course. The ornaments all have stories (in our house, most are handmade) and the lights are so lovely, and the smell is divine. And the kitten will try to pull it over and stuff will get broken and we’ll forget to water it and I’ll get sticky stuff all over my hands… sigh.

    I can do without the other commercial garbage, but I really like the tree.

  • "Did not" Christmas Vacation

    I’m trying to recall if I’ve ever had two weeks and three weekends off in a row. I don’t think I have, and this one was incredible. Here’s the short list of what I did not do:

    • did not travel
    • did not cook or eat any huge meals
    • did not box for a week
    • did not go to any Aftershock gigs
    • did not send out Christmas cards
    • did not get a Christmas tree
    • did not spend too much for Christmas
    • did not drink much alcohol
    • did not make New Year’s resolutions
    • did not send or answer email
    • did not blog
    • did not do (or stress over) any work-related stuff

    For contrast, here’s what this freed me up for:

    • learned to sew
    • sent my first mail art
    • enjoyed oceans of hot tea
    • read eight or ten novels
    • rented five movies
    • drew, cut, and pulled prints for two linocuts
    • re-read Zone Perfect Meals in Minutes; began shifting my diet
    • enjoyed my family
    • averaged 10 hours of sleep a night

    I have to say, it was awesome and I highly recommend the “nots” in particular. What did you not do this year?

  • no suspenders needed

    The chain the boys did not need for their DIY nunchucku was quickly appropriated by the Maker, who showed it off to me this morning in this fashionable and utilitarian application. He also carefully explained each tool in the new blue pocketknife (a much-cherished Christmas gift from his oldest brother — an exact replica of the one he lost last year), the uses of the 3-foot tape measure, and the features of his tiny die-cast tractor on a keychain (thank you, Papa Clyde).

    It’s no wonder he needs a chain to hold all that stuff up.

  • The 2007 Pre-Teen Boy Gift Trifecta

    The gift thing is kind of low-key in our house compared to most people I know. However, the gifts our boys do receive get preferentially ranked by them in ways I would never predict.

    3. Digital Entertainment: Pokemon and Pirates
    Well, this one I can predict; what surprised me was that it turned up at number three rather than higher. However, movies and GameBoy games are always loved, partly because stuff like that is severely restricted in our house (one hour of “screen time” per boy per day; no computer or movies on school nights). We don’t have XBox or Wii or PlayStation, but the boys have a cast-off GameBoy that someone gave them several years ago, and it gets passed around with great reverence. It also spends long weeks turned off and in The Husband’s custody because of the arguing it inspires. However, Gram sent a new Pokemon Game AND the Pirates of the Caribbean #3, and her name is being breathed with prayers of thanksgiving.

    2. Weapons: DIY Nunchucks
    We have a “no guns” household, which means our boys are desperate for alternative weapons. Thus, they adore swords, knives, throwing stars, catapults, longbows, and anything else that can sneak past my definition of firearms; I figure if they are going to practice killing, they are going to have to do it the old-fashioned way: by hand and up close. Anyway, I went to the hardware store and bought a handful of inch-thick dowel rods, a packet of eyebolts, a length of swing chain, and three colors of electrician’s tape and put it in a box. On the lid of the box I drew a picture of a pair of nunchucks (handles “padded” with electrician’s tape), and they were beside themselves with joy. Let the maiming begin.

    1. Food: Beef Jerky and Snow Cones
    I gave them each THEIR OWN PERSONAL package of beef jerky, the ultimate in manly-man food. Goes great with nunchucku. More expensive than nunchucku. I also got them a snow cone machine (goes great with beef jerky and nunchucku, see picture), mostly out of nostalgia for the old Snoopy Sno-Cone maker that I never had. Now maybe they will actually refill the ice cube trays rather than perpetually leaving them out for someone else to do. Now if I could only think of a similar incentive for the toilet seat issue.

  • true meaning of christmas


    Report: Nationâ??s Wealthy Cruelly Deprived Of True Meaning Of Christmas

    The Husband found this video on The Onion, which you may already know as one of the most widely-read satirical publications online or in print. Like Jon Stewart on the Daily Show, they often tell more truth through their parody than the newspapers.

  • elf them (and they will scrooge you)

    Ok, all your friends have done it, when are you just going to jump on the elfwagon (or scroogewagon) and be done with it?

    A few minutes to create it, a lifetime to live it down!