Tis the Season ....

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Winter Solstice or just a holiday off from work, I wish you and your loved ones peace, love and happiness no matter what the season.

I hope you do or continue to do what makes you happy and healthy in 2012.

Remember the reason for the season and love the giver, not the gift.

Peace out!

Greed and Gluttony

Ahhhh...sinners have so much more fun, don't they? We covered at least three of the 7 deadly sins today - envy, greed and gluttony.

B and I decided to stay home this weekend instead of going up north since the snowmobile trails are either closed, barely covered or iced over from the warm temperatures and tons of rain. I hope we get some good snow soon so we can salvage the riding season. Too bad all that snow slamming the south couldn't make it's way up to the mountains of Vermont.

To cheer ourselves up we decided to pay some restitution to the Native Americans and make a deposit down at Foxwoods. It must have been the full moon messing with my mind for me to think it was a good idea to throw some money away. I'm still not even getting my unemployment checks but why should that stop me from donating some money to the Indians. We went down hard and fast at the blackjack table but we had a good time and didn't lose too much.

Our friend came down and met us at the casino and after trying a few pulls on the slot machines we headed to Mystic Pizza for a big greasy lunch. I got a turkey sandwich but had some very greasy onion rings, a small sliver of pizza, and french fries. I overdid it for sure.

We hadn't seen our friend since the end of November so we got to exchange Christmas presents which is always fun no matter what the date on the calendar. My friend makes us the most delicious homemade Christmas cookies every year and she had a big batch waiting in the deep freeze for us for over a month. It didn't matter that the cookies have been frozen though because they were just as good as if they were freshly baked. I'm so stuffed but keep breaking off a little piece of cookie here and a little piece there. It really is a sickness when you can't stop eating when you are bursting.

I feel pretty gross right now and almost wish I could make myself throw up. I think lots of people who have a binge eating disorder wish they could be bulimic, at least we'd be able to get rid of that full, bloated feeling and not have so much evidence of our binges hanging off our bodies. I had way too much junk today and feel absolutely disgusting. My stomach is ready to explode and I have a slight headache from all the sugar.

It's funny how quickly our bodies get used to eating healthy foods and when we slip up and go back to eating crap we feel disgusting but we still tend to crave the junk food no matter how gross it makes us feel. Why is that?

I'm going to have to do double time at the gym this week to make up for this one day of excess but it was worth it.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa:

I've been a very good girl this year so I would like you to show some love to all my blogging friends who should be found on your Nice List, oh, well, ummm ... maybe just a little bit naughty but mostly nice list:

A remedy for Pasta Queen's never-ending headache.

Strength for Jen, a Prior Fat Girl, and her entire family to get through all the firsts without her Mom.

Less frogs and more princes to kiss for Hilly at Snackie's World.

The perfect fitting pair of jeans for Ex Hot Girl (who is no longer an "Ex," just a "Hot Girl" now).

Happy feet for Allison at Doublechinned.

An unemployment extension and a great job for Tammy at From Fat to Fab.

Huge Glo bar sales for Angela at Oh She Glows.

Reliable internet and warm heat for Friend of the Bear.

A super-duper souped up immunity system for Skinny Me.

and...and...and...

I had very good intentions of listing EVERYONE on my blog roll and including links but I ran out of time and if I don't send this out now Santa won't get it before he heads out to deliver presents to all you good boys and girls out there. I hope Santa brings you whatever your heart desires.

I truly appreciate all of the love and support you have shown me. You are all so very special to me and I appreciate each and every one of you.

I wish every single one of you a joyous holiday season and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish in 2010.

Eat, Drink and Be Merry.

MERRY MERRY!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Hanukkah, and a wonderful Winter Solstice. I wish you all peace, love and happiness in the New Year. May all your days be merry and bright.

MERRY MERRY!

Holiday PC

Apparently I need to apologize for offending people by wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Personally, I don't think there is anything wrong with it but I understand it isn't politically correct and some people aren't happy unless they have something to b*tch about and having someone have the audacity to wish them a Merry day gets them riled up for a fight and puts their panties in a knot. Can't we all just chill out, feel the love, and be Merry.

I grew up celebrating Christmas and Chanukah so I really should have thought to include all faith's holidays during this time of year. I hope you all had a wonderful holiday, whatever holiday it is that you celebrate. I still just don't understand why people get offended if I say Merry Christmas - I'm just wishing you well, I'm not pushing any faith on you, I'm not insisting you buy baby Jesus a present or making you kneel on the alter. I think some people need to get over the sensitivity to people wishing them well.

Happy, Happy, Merry, Merry ... Christmas, Chanukah/Hanukkah, Chrismukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, Ramadan, Festivus or Thursday.

Is it still ok to say HAPPY NEW YEAR?

Merry Merry !!

We saw the musical "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" last night at the Wang Theater and then watched the cartoon version when we got home. The musical was fun, the theater was gorgeous and it was something different to do but the cartoon version is the best.

'Twas the night before Christmas ... but it just doesn't feel like Christmas. There's lots of snow on the ground (although it is warm and drizzling now), the bells are ringing, the lights are shining and the lines at all the stores are crazy long and painfully slow but for some reason I'm not feeling it this year. I just don't have any of that Christmas spirit. Where did it go? Bah Humbug! Maybe Santa will bring my spirit back tonight. I was a good girl ... really I was. Santa, please bring me a big bag of holiday spirit.

I hope you are feeling the joy of the holiday. Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

Shoppers are pushing and shoving each other trying to get the early bird sales and receive the maximum discounts on overpriced goods, parents are waiting in ridiculously long cold lines to get there hands on the last Wii or other must-have game, battles are being waged in the parking lots of malls, hoards of travelers are getting stuck in airports unable to get up in the friendly skies, difficult family members are in town for the duration, people are mainlining sugar and alcohol, gifts need to be bought and wrapped and serious house cleaning needs to get done before guests arrive. The clock is ticking and yet I still feel a bit detached from it all.

I wish I could get back the spirit of Christmas I had as a kid, being awed by the wonder of all the lights and decorated store windows, playing in the snow piled on the streets, shaking wrapped boxes and wondering if you were good enough to get on Santa's nice list as opposed to the dreaded naughty one. The only thing I worried about then was whether Santa would bring me those Rock em Sock em Robots, a new bike with the cool tassels, or whatever gift my little heart desired and wanted more than anything else in the world.

The real meaning of Christmas has been twisted and distorted by the pressure we put on ourselves trying to make things perfect and instead of enjoying our family and friends we just make ourselves crazy.

Apparently it is not politically correct to wish someone a Merry Christmas anymore; you are now encouraged and pressured to say Happy Holidays or Happy Christmakwanzaka or some such combination of all the holidays of every religion that celebrates something during the month of December. I'm surprised they haven't added Boxing Day to the hybrid of names. I understand not everyone celebrates this holiday but what harm are people inflicting on someone by uttering the words "Merry Christmas." I'm sorry but I don't understand what the big deal is. I wish people would just lighten up and stop be offended when someone wishes them a Merry Christmas. You don't have to believe in J.C., religion or commercialism to say "thank you" for the well wishes given to you by another human being in this crazy world.

A recent post on Blogography talks about people being encouraged to Take Back Christmas. I couldn't agree more with these eloquent words of David Simmer II, a brilliant commentator on world events and popular culture (or so he claims). Check it out, it is well worth the read.

With Christmas lights twinkling in my eyes and fresh fallen snow on my tongue, I sincerely wish you and yours a very MERRY CHRISTMAS! *thank you*