President Ford has died. Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban have reunited in Australia. The Dow broke records, closing above 12,500 for the first time.

It's the day after the day after Christmas.

I'm taking the advice of the people I respect (you know, people who read my blog) and I'm going to push through my writer's block by writing every weekday.

The spirit of my 100 days and all that.

I'm hoping for constructive criticism. And the return of inspiration.

So.

Last week, I took Bear downtown to look at all the holiday displays and to do some shopping at the open-air Christmas market. Headed for the parking garage, Bear saw the Christmas in Daley Plaza for the first time.

He got a little upset. "Mommy! They killed a really, really old tree! Just for decoration!"

He was relieved to get up close and see it is really a bunch of smaller trees stacked together.

Once upon a time...

My dad did that.

Although, not as much on purpose.

He bought a bargain basement tree so pathetic that when he got home, he realized it wasn't going to work out. So he went out an bought another one, tied them together, and sort of hung the whole thing from the ceiling with fishing line.

"Don't worry," he told my brother and me. "No one will ever be able to tell once its decorated."

We looked at him, looked at those trees, looked at each other. And wondered, in a loud whisper, if Christmas trees were, you know, supposed to be triangle-shaped.

Dad's creation was a strange kind of..uh... polygon.

My mother stood in the doorway, watching the whole thing happen, and I knew from the look on her face that one day she would either kill or divorce my dad.

My father could have used the decorating and creative skills of the Daley Plaza tree people. Or, you know, a bucket of the sense God gave goats.

The next day, Bear was telling CD about the "stack of trees" over hamburgers our favorite diner when a tropical Santa popped out from behind the bar.

Bear looked at me and shook his head.

"Strange," he whispered in my ear.

"Yeah," I agreed. "It's a strange time a year."

Tropical Santa gave Bear a plastic blue lei.

He rolled his eyes.

"Mommy," Bear said. "I gotta tell you. It really is."

Posted by: Elizabeth at 12:39 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Jay Leno made a joke about holiday newsletters the other day. Something to the effect “Little Katie is a cheerleader and Little Billie made honor roll and…. Who cares?!” And I remembered why I don’t watch Jay Leno very often (besides the obvious fact that I’m usually in bed by then) – I care.

I read the AP wire, I watch BBC news, I catch up via blogs and email. IÂ’m interested in what goes on in our world, our country, and the lives of the people in our virtual and local community.

I'm interested in you.

I believe that knowledge is valuable in of itself. I believe in the power of directed prayer, and empathy. I believe that evolution comes from understanding. I believe that love in the form of compassion can save humanity - and the planet.

And if that makes me bourgeois, well thereÂ’s something I actually donÂ’t care about.

Rock on, with the holiday newsletters. Rock on with the silly doodles and happy news and the personal notes written in the margins. It's the season of sharing, and don't let dumbass hosts tell you different.

Posted by: Elizabeth at 06:37 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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1 Right on! I, too, have a soft spot for all those photocopied colored papered mass mailings of domestic news. Wish more of my friends and family wrote them, really.

Posted by: Andrea at December 02, 2006 12:00 PM (1gsf1)

2 I love those holiday newsletters - even though I've never done one myself. It keeps me up to date with the important happenings of those who I care about. One year, my dad and his wife sent out a holiday newsletter. It was the year Emma was born ... and he never mentioned her or me in the letter at all. Crushed me. I don't know if it hurt more that he didn't mention her birth (his first grandchild) or if I didn't find out about it until after Christmas lunch at my uncle's place looking at all of the cards and letters they had received. Anyway! I totally agree with you! Sure, they might be a wee bit cheesy but a holiday season without them just wouldn't be the same.

Posted by: Michele at December 02, 2006 02:54 PM (5VGFA)

3 Im right there with you. I love the newsletters. I love hearing about my fellow mans victorys and triumphs and lending support when things arent that great. I also care maybe mr leno dosent because after worrying about his huge collection of cars ect he has nothing left to give anyone else. how sad.

Posted by: angela at December 02, 2006 05:18 PM (XMRLG)

4 THANK YOU! I was about to get started on ours...

Posted by: Stacy at December 03, 2006 05:06 AM (1dTJI)

5 I love the newsletters too. It's like the blog ahead of its time. Someday I'll write my own... Silly Jay Leno

Posted by: Rebecca at December 03, 2006 08:16 AM (TFela)

6 I'm with ya! I love newsletters - and I get really irritated with people who just send me a photo. Yes, the photo is nice, but I want to know the details. Especially if you're someone I don't keep in touch with on a regular basis. Just tell Jay to send his newsletters my way.

Posted by: beth at December 04, 2006 09:51 AM (gxouo)

7 I have tried to keep all of the holiday newletters I get in a file folder, and every time I stumble onto them in the course of filing my utility bills or insurance claim forms I am always happy to look back through the years on the lives of those I care about. I look forward to getting them every year. I leave them out on my desk or post them on my cork board and read them many times throughout the season. I have once or twice managed to write one of my own, but I am not so good at writing things and then actually dropping them in the mail. I think I just might finish my holiday letter and send it off this year, though, and just for fun, I'll send it to Mr. Leno himself!

Posted by: Laura at December 06, 2006 02:42 PM (Tqoj6)

8 Well, I agree with you. We all live on one planet and should care about each other

Posted by: Rob at December 10, 2006 02:12 PM (wMSNf)

9 my family actually calls my mom (not me, my mom) and asks when my letter will come out. that makes me feel good, like it's worth taking the time to do it. i wish more people we know did it, too, so we can catch up on what's been going on in their lives.

Posted by: becky at December 12, 2006 02:54 AM (jv5jW)

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