Holiday Noooo--oh-oh-ooooo.o.o.'s

Here's one to get the list going. (I make no promises about follow through, will just add my holiday No's as I see them.)

This year I have discovered the perfect gift, and it comes in a jar: a "gift jar," a 1-quart glass jar (commonly referred to as a Mason jar) filled with ingredients for making cookies, soups or beverages. The jars are assembled in layers, making for a beautiful effect. Then the jar is decorated with a square of fabric and a brightly colored ribbon.

The recipient follows the instructions on the attached card, and soon he or she has a batch of home-baked treats, courtesy of a favorite gift-giver. The advantages? First, we all love to eat, and these recipes yield treats that are, indeed, very good to eat. Second, for the person who is exhausted at the end of the day (and aren't we all?), it's a delight to know that the homemade cookies are, essentially, already halfway done.

Finally, this is a project with which your child can really be involved. My children, ages 10 and 14, and I had a great time creating these gift jars. We formed an assembly line to fill jars with brown sugar, flour, candies, cocoa and baking soda. My son's karate instructor said these were the best cookies (recipe follows) he had ever eaten, and asked for the recipe. My daughter's piano teacher said she didn't want to make the cookies just yet -- the jar was too beautiful.

Hmm, I suspect they were being polite.

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*Here' s the Lindsey Buckingham tune to get you warmed up this fine Saturday...
Holiday Ro-oh-oh-oh-oh-oad.

or the postcards-opening-the-movie version, if you're so inclined. RIP John Candy. Introducing Christie Brinkley...heh.

And the trailer... Ah the good old days, when it was ok for Chevy Chase to play that kind of a father without a professional conservative response advocating for better on-screen role models. ** RIP Imogene Coca. ("Move outta that seat and I'll split yer lip!")
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** No time for a longer post, but have you noticed "Advocating for Men" is the new tool in academic and research circles to help complete the nannifying of American society? Now I know some men, I like men, hell I love plenty of men. Society doesn't really need protection from "negative media images" of them, like in this movie. Men need space. Senses. Not studies. Humans are animals, and the push to consumerize deadens some of us.

And no sugary powders in the jars please.