Bah.

Oh, wait, Christmas, right? Hold on, I got something here, just, y'know, gimme a minute...

So, um, yeah, everyone's busy. We all got stuff goin' on, and haven't had that much of a chance to get on here and say silly things about your Mom's drinking habits or ask if your brother's been in my garage sleeping off his latest meth binge, because if he is, it's cool, just ask him next time to leave my tools alone, okay? Thanks.

Anyway. Christmas.  So.

The Little Miss' mother and I sometimes disagree about things, and holidays sometimes fall into that conversation, but no matter how we feel about these things, we both tend to agree that the focus during these times is not supposed to be on the holiday, but the company we keep during the holiday. I mean, it's what MY parents tried to drum into my skull when I was a kid, although they had a much harder time with it, I'm sure, seeing as I was completely smitten with the idea of PRESENTS. (More specifically: you guys gave JEFF the G.I. Joe Tank? JEFF? The kid who kept eating the heads off of my Star Wars figures? Christmas sucks, FOREVER.)

Point being: we're not in too much of a rush to spoil Hazel and teach her that Christmas is day when you get stuff.

That being said, watching Hazel open her presents fills one with an almost indescribable joy. She's just, y'know, happy, and what's more, she seems to really enjoy sharing this happiness with everyone she's around, and that can't be a bad thing. To that end: lately, daily, even, I've been coming into Beano to find that someone or other has dropped off a gift for Hazel, and my first thought is always, 'hey, where's MINE?', because, y'know, I'm SELFISH, but it doesn't take long for me to dismiss that thought and just be really grateful. So, this is me saying to all of you: thank you. It's not the that the gifts help make my daughter a better person, it's that your generosity shows through, making this season a little more (dare I say it) magical.

No, really: thanks. To everyone.

Except for Kimmy.

Now I must go to work, but here are a few random links for y'all that might or might not have anything to do with Christmas:

1. PJ Harvey, 'The Last Living Rose': yes, please.

2. You might have seen this already, but it deserves repeating: Ricky Gervais on why he's an athiest.

3. I'm not sure if Eskmo's music is anything to crow about, but this video seems to calm me down.

4. Common sense in Missoula: a jury refuses to convict over a sixteenth of an ounce of marijuana.

5. Susannah Breslin on, simply put, why you shouldn't kill yourself.

6. Ohheyanewblog: co-worker/minion Tiffany and her friend Sarah showcase their mad skills daily.

7. Also: since someone seems to have killed The Straw, Josh decided to give us all a new venue through which we can vent our weird little thoughts. There hasn't been much activity lately, seeing how everyone's doing seasonal stuff, but it's still a lot of fun: The Actual Writer's Guild Of Canada.

Oh, man, I stink. Gotta shower and stuff. MERRY DAY OF EATING TURKEY AND WONDERING WHY YOU GOT ARGYLE SOCKS IN YOUR STOCKING!