love

I received this email and thought you could all assist in this sweet boy's dream. Spread the holiday love...

My long time childhood friend has a very special 7 year old son (Nathan) that is losing his battle with brain cancer and the family has made the decision to not pursue further treatment. This will be his last Christmas and he has one wish ~ to collect a million Christmas cards. Spoken like a true 7 year old boy. Though he may not collect a million, a lot to him will seem like a million. If you would like help make Nathan’s Christmas wish come true, please consider sending a card. I know this will mean a lot to him, as well as his family. Thanks and many blessing to you all. Stephanie J Nathan Elfrink 2415 Taylor Blair Road West Jefferson, OH 43162

It's the inside that counts...mostly.

My friend Megan has made it very clear that she believes I should wear lipgloss. When we were roommates, as we'd be walking out the door, she'd habitually say, "Do you want to use my lipgloss?" Or, not so subtly, "What are you going to put on your lips?"

But I rarely gave in. I just don't like things (other than Carmex and Burt's Bees) on my lips.

Today, though, I was tempted to buy the mark Belle of the Ball lip balm.

Embarrassingly, it's not because of the product. It's the packaging.

Those little shiny containers are so enticing. How fun it would be to get lip balm out of those? I found myself captivated as I read about the product in Glamour. I immediately wanted to get online and buy them. I mean, they're only $5 each.
Luckily, in a rare moment, logic overcame my emotion. I started laughing - though I should have been crying - for me, buying something because of the packaging is commonplace.

The most irresistible for me are the face washes. There is something so tempting about putting a face soap that is contained in such a simple, clean bottle, on my face. If the bottle is that appealing it must work.

I am a marketing department's dream.

Is it so wrong, though?

It's OK to find certain people attractive and therefore want to date them more. And it's accepted (though not proverbially) that we all judge books by the covers. That which is more attractive is inevitably more enticing...

Much to my chagrin, when it comes to the exterior of Christmas, I am utterly hopeless.

AKA I can't wrap gifts to save my life. Not even boxes!

Last year (my first Christmas with Jim) after I'd wrapped his gifts, my friend Katie came over and unwrapped and rewrapped all of them.

They were that bad.

I think she feared that he'd see my failed attempt and conclude that I had no domesticity, thus no real future as a potential mate...

So glad she had my back.

It's since been made clear to Jim, though, that my gift wrapping skills are lacking. Fortunately, when it comes to the gifts, it's the inside that counts. I think I'll try to remember that next time I'm tempted by a new face wash...

May your days be merry and themed

Last weekend, Jim and I celebrated his birthday in Disney World. Undoubtedly, one of my favorite parts of the weekend was seeing Disney through his eyes. Not having gone there was I was young, it doesn't hold the sheer magic for me that it holds for those who have seen it through their childhood eyes. And what I've found with all true Disney lovers, is that even when you're no longer a child, you always see Disney through those same eyes.

I can only imagine how much I would have loved it when I was young. Throughout the weekend, we saw three parades, an African safari with real animals, Mickey and Minnie, an amazing Christmas light show and so much more.
Even if you're not someone who enjoys theme parks, what you cannot deny is that Disney doesn't forget any details. They truly do everything you could imagine. Every park is themed perfectly. Every ride within the park is themed - including the line where you wait, the ride and where you exit. It's unbelievable.

I don't know if I'm hyper-sensitive to theming after spending the weekend in Disney World or if it's just a hot trend right now, but I've noticed it's more prevalent lately.
For example, the new travel-themed wine (said to make your day "boozy and bright"). My personal favorite is the "Night Flight".
Of course there's also the frenzy of Twilight-themed things, such as the new restaurant opening in Washington.

However, as much as I love wine and admittedly just read the first Twilight book, my favorite themed indulgence is at the Empire Hotel in New York. The hotel just unveiled Gossip Girl cocktails. "S" sounds especially tasty, but I've always been a bigger fan of Blair. Of course if I had to pick one for myself, I'd choose Nate. Sorry Chuck...