Happy Christmas

Cat bites, "coocks" and bad journalism

I took an editing class my junior year of college. I learned about headlines, different newspaper layouts, photojournalism and grammar, grammar, grammar. [Admittedly, rules of which I often break on this blog.] Occasionally we spent a class period looking at newspapers printed throughout the country. Our assignment would be to critic the front page of various publications. My professor advised my peers and I to look at small town newspapers because they usually had the worst layouts, photographs and headlines. The newspaper printed in the small town where I currently reside is no exception.

Truthfully, I refuse to read it 80 percent of the time. This is due to the fact that I can’t pick it up without 1. cringing and 2. wanting to take a red pen and edit the entire thing. Articles are placed in such a way that it’s sometimes difficult to differentiate between two separate news stories. Headline hierarchy is obviously a concept foreign to the editor. There is no font consistency. There is zero balance. And 98 percent of the stories have no significant news value. I wouldn’t consider the last fact to be a problem, considering it is a small town paper. But for the love of all that is journalism please be grammatically accurate.

Okay, now that I’ve vented on that just a bit, let’s cut to the chase as to why I’ve bothered to address this issue at all.

A Shorter Absence Than Expected

joy to the world

Over time, Christmas seems to have changed. As a child, I was always eager to wake up early Christmas morning and discover what presents lay nestled under the tree. But with each year I begin to care less and less about the presents and care more and more about what is important to me, such as my King who loves us so. And it is Him I would like to wish a happy, happy birthday. ★

Oh & this is our Christmas tree (below). I'm afraid it's not the best picture, but it'll have to do. & on a random note, I'm quite sad that father and I didn't make our traditional gingerbread house this year, like the one I posted here.

Happy, happy Christmas everyone.

Or as Seth Cohen would say, Merry Chrismukkah!

I hope you get to spend it with all your loved ones.

xx

Ooooooooooo! I absolutely love Christmas

Today's agenda includes preparing shortbread cookies with pecans mushed on top with drops of caramel. Dressing up and attending Christmas Eve church service. & reading Eloise at Christmastime, while later escaping into Narnia with Polly and Digory. I'm reading The Magician's Nephew from this magical book (above). It and a most beautiful hand-made felt blanket are the most wonderful presents from dear Gwenie. ★

Happy, happy Christmas Eve to you all!

xx

the woods are lovely, dark and deep

Nose plugged. Itchy throat. Droopy eyes. Messy hair. Comfy PJs. I'm not fond of sickness. I'm home after a weekend spent frolicking in sheets of snow. Tiny white snowflakes that filled the foggy air were worth the endless sneezes and a pink nose. The weekend was concocted with light displays and parades, burritos, card games, sledding and sliding to and fro down the icy roads. I'm extra thankful for my ironed bed, piled with bundles and bundles of blankets. ★

past the sea of swirly, twirly gumdrops and through the Lincoln tunnel

Oh yesterday's adventures. Midnight Monday and the sky was like a strobe light. One thunk and boom and the heater stops humming, along with everything else in the house. I thought the oversized tree outside my window had fallen, but my parents wake to tell me two transformers had fallen instead. My mind didn’t completely register that they weren’t talking about Bumblebee or Optimus Prime. The dogs were frightened. I awoke in the morning, feeling more sick than the previous day. I didn’t drive to my last day of internship for my car was trapped inside the garage. I drifted back into my dreams. Two thick comforters and I was still cold.

Tomato soup with saltines. Mmm. The power finally came back on, but no internet. Phones are still messed up. I dislike this very much indeed. No matter. I drug the comforter downstairs. Slinky, my dog, made herself comfortable, curled up in a ball next to me on the couch. An hour later and I’m smiling- for it hurt my throat too much to laugh- to the words, “Buddy the elf, what’s your favorite color?” Oh how I love that cotton-headed ninny muggins.

I then moved on to my favorite film- You’ve Got Mail. “Don’t you just love New York in the fall? It makes me want to buy school supplies.” The day ended with tears because watching Nights in Rodanthe will do that to you. Once again I drifted back into my dreams as Home Alone played in the background. I was out like a light somewhere around the part where Kevin stole a toothbrush. ★

Blue Christmas

Christmas ends in less than an hour and thirty minutes. Present after present has been wrapped and unwrapped. Families have ate, drank, and been merry. It's usually this time- the time after everyone has went back to their homes, that makes me sad. It's the time where I miss having my brother at home and, for some reason, it just feels like one of the loneliest moments of my life. Maybe I'm the only one who gets this way. But this year I'm sad for another reason. Someone near and dear to me has anorexia. And not just anorexia, but bulemia. This beautiful young woman. It makes my stomach ache just thinking about it. It's an illness that quite honestly I don't understand. I just want her to get better. I love her. Very much. And I don't want to lose her.

Merry Christmas

I hope you embrace the true gift of Christmas and have a happy time with your families.

xoxo Krissie

Elf lady

Zooey Deschanel is looking lovely as ever. Her voice is equally lovely- watch Elf or listen to her indie band, She & Him.

{more photos, Nylon and Lula}

This is my story...

The sound of footprints can be heard making their way up the stairs. The hall lights flicker off and another day has come and gone. A few blocks away families are enjoying the spirit of Christmas. Rainbows of twinkle lights sparkle in the dark night. Children are smiling as they watch their favorite holiday film. My thoughts become released into one big jumbled mess. I lay snuggled under a mint-green blanket, staring at the light bulb until it becomes a shapeless blur of light. I can hear the cars speeding down the street, racing through the cold air, perhaps off to a party that allows the driver to escape the hustle and bustle of the season. The hum of the fireplace is playing in the background. The pink curtains are drawn, allowing only slits of moonlight to fall across the floor. It’s a quiet night, a lonely night with nothing but my iTunes and my miniature Daschund to keep me company. But something stirs inside me, from the hollows of my heart. I grab my pink notebook from my bag and let the inky words flow from my pen. This is my story...

Tis the season to be jolly

I could not be any happier at the moment. I showed up to my last final, Shakespeare, at 9:40 this morning after stressing all weekend. And surprise! The TA's and professor gave the class a wonderful Christmas gift: If we were content with our current grade, then we didn't have to take the final, and that would be the grade we received. What a blessing! Once again, I get to keep my scholarship.

My mother is now frolicking about the house decorating for Christmas. Christmas music is being blasted through the house. My dad is getting work done. And I have been dancing around like a lunatic from the moment I walked in the door. I was singing the lyrics "Last Christmas" to my dog Molly. She just sat there with her big eyes, looking at me like I was a nutcase. Oh well.

Holiday madness

Christmas time always seems to be one of the craziest times of the year. It all starts on Black Friday. People scramble about in search for gifts. And there are always those few commercials that exaggerate the craziness, such as women knocking each other over and racing for that one gift that is the last one in stock. My mother shared a story with me today. Apparently she eyed an item in a cart that was the only one left in the store. And, according to her, it was at an insanely low price. So what does she do? Well she stood around for fifteen minutes to see if anyone came to retrieve the cart full of items. After the time had passed, my mother assumed the cart was abandoned and, when no one was looking, took the item from the cart. "But what if the cart hadn't been abandoned," I thought. It just reminded me of all the madness of this holiday. I've added this video for your enjoyment. Which further shows the reality of consumerism and how maddening some statistics really are.

Christmas decor

Christmas time is here! And that means... time to decorate!