I want a Christmas tree!

'Tis the season

Nik (the boyfriend) has promised to bring home a Christmas tree. A fakie, but it'll do. I can't picture strapping a seven-foot spruce to the top of his Intrepid. Actually, I can, but it's not a pretty sight, so we'll avoid the situation at all costs. These fake trees come with the lights already on them...imagine that! See, kids, where I come from the trees don't come with lights. They grow in the woods and we cut them down. (No!) Yes, indeed. We cut them. And then we drag them through ice and snow and trim them down. Barbarians, we are. We feed them only a little every day. Sometimes we forget completely. Such cold-heartedness, I know. *Sigh* But it sure does give you a warm and fuzzy feeling, doesn't it? The magic of Christmas, that is. Anyway, once we get that tree in here this place will be very festive. Some cheap strings of Wal-Mart lights ought to do the trick. All that will be missing will be my sugar cookies. I can hardly wait!

I AM the monster-under-the-bed hunter.

There isn't much that I know for sure. There are some things I am quite sure of, however. I know what (and who) I love, and I know what (and who) I do not. I know that I love beauty, and I know that I instinctively seek the truth, whatever it may be. Join me...

I love to read. Anything. Well, almost anything. Let’s just say I’m open to almost anything. I particularly love Harry Potter. (Gasp!) Not the heathen, Harry! Yes, witches and wizards and sorcerers and Quidditch. (Rubbish!) I love Greek mythology, which may explain my interest in Rowling’s work. I have utmost respect for an author who has the discipline to plan an entire seven-novel series ahead of time. She is my hero. I proclaim my respect without shame and without worry that the Evangelical Christians will be on my case about it. I, too, am a Christian; before any of you faithful (get it?) readers are offended. I simply do not feel that my faith is compromised by a storybook character with a stubborn cowlick. I can read Harry and still love Jesus. It happens. I’m over it.

I also love winter and Christmas. I think I love the 24 days before Christmas as much as the day itself. I love decorating for it, I love driving around after dinner with my family to hunt for well-decorated houses in town, and I love the way Christmas lights look when they’re blurred by an inch of the white, fluffy stuff. I love hot cocoa (use milk, not water) with Cool Whip on top. I love the new, red cups from Starbucks with the white snowflakes on them, and I love even more to sit in the coffee shop with my book and listen to swanky Christmas songs. I love walking in the woods at night when it’s snowing and the light of the moon lights up the whole sky, so that you don’t need a flashlight. I love my little hometown nestled in the Great North Woods of New Hampshire, despite what my classmates say about getting “out of here.” I am out of there, and I miss it very much; especially now, when the Christmas season draws near. Good news, though…only 18 more days until break begins.

I’ve already bought the Christmas sprinkles for my cookies and cupcakes. My mom has been calling me Suzie Homemaker, which could have good or bad connotations. I tend to like the idea of baking cookies for my man, and I want him to bring them to work for the guys. Shoot me! I’ve been drilled with the women’s liberation ideas so much that it makes me think that I should never say such things in public. However, there is nothing wrong with being the wife, the mom, the cookie-maker, the monster-under-the-bed hunter. Can’t I just be the novelist-who-stays-at-home-and-bakes-and-watches-the-kids?? I want to be a well-respected author, yes. I also want to drive a Land Rover with the family dog in the back, wear cashmere sweaters, and pick my boys up from soccer practice. Is this too much to ask? I think not…

Let's give it a shot.

Thanks to Chelse for the idea to start blogging. I fear that this will last about as long as my previous diaries and online journals (friends know of past attempts at online writing), but one can only hope that a person's diligence can improve over time. My friend, Chelse, has quite the cute and entertaining Blog (http://chelsemelina.blogspot.com) if anyone is interested. She's got me interested in the whole idea. Kudos to her and to her witty sense of humor.

In Central Park, NYC