Holiday Harbour

Thursday Threesome

Onesome: I'm dreaming of a white Christmas- Are you hoping for a white Christmas this year, or are you somewhere you seldom see snow?

Oh, I always dream of white Christmases, but even in southern New England there's only a one in three chance of having one. In Georgia it's downright impossible, although for the past two years we have had a small (1-inch) snowfall a few days before the holiday, only to have it melt by the next day (or the same afternoon!).

Twosome: With every Christmas card I write- Have you begun the cards? Do you write a personal note in each one, or just sign a generic greeting and your name? Or maybe print out the ol' yearly form letter to let everyone know what's new for you?

No, I haven't done the cards yet, sadly. I really should mail them out on Friday. I have the stamps already, though, that being the hard part. I used to do a yearly newsletter, but since almost everyone I know has computer access, I just assume they're keeping up with us on our website. In certain cards I do write a personal note.

Threesome: May your days be merry and bright- What do you do for the holidays to ensure they'll be merry?

Chill. Christmas is not a gift-giving competition, nor a decorating contest, nor the Pillsbury cookoff. If your friends and family judge you by what expensive bauble you buy them, or if your house looks like Martha Stewart had decorated it, or how many different kinds of goodies you can bake, you need to find new friends and avoid those family members.

The Question of the Week is: Have you ever had a holiday disaster? Something that seemed horrible when it happened but now you can laugh about? The dogs got the turkey, the gifts you ordered on-line didn't make it in time, the cat knocked over the tree, whatever. Share your holiday disaster with us!

I can't say I've been involved in any disasters. I do remember occasionally having colds at Christmas, and one year I had the chickenpox for Thanksgiving. Now I do remember sad Christmases, especially 1983 when my cousin was killed by a drunk driver three days before Christmas.