Umbrellas and Anthon Berger

This year for Christmas I got two umbrellas and two boxes of Anthon Berger chocolates. I was expecting the umbrella from my niece. We talked about how I'd begun carrying long, full-sized umbrellas because of my unfortunate proclivity for losing the folding ones. But I need a folding one for when I take public transportation and I had left my last one at the yoga studio. I also got a folding umbrella from my friend Kathleen. Add the one I bought myself on sale for Black Friday and I now have three. Let's see how long it takes me to lose all of them. 

Then there are the boozy chocolates. I'd never heard of Anthon Berger chocolate liqueurs and now I have two gift sets. They are kind of neat. Each foil-wrapped bottle is 2" in. high, made of dark chocolate, and filled with booze. I got one from Kathleen and another from my friend Mindy and her husband, Alan. I haven't tried any of them yet, but I'm looking forward to it.

It's funny. Mindy and Kathleen met once, more than a decade ago, at my mom's funeral. So I'm fascinated that they came up with the same gift for me, and something I previously didn't even know existed.

 

 

And Christmas 2025 is a wrap

It was a nice holiday. I celebrated it in two distinct parts.

First, here at home with Elaine. And Santa. We went to Chicago's Music Box Theater to see It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen. Before the show, the organist leads us in a sing-a-long, and Santa himself joins us for the musical finale. 

This is the fourth time Elaine and I have done this. We wore gold antlers and she dressed as George Bailey, wearing his #3 football jersey. I wore my Cubs Christmas sweater, fitting because The Music Box is in the same neighborhood as the ballpark.

We exchanged gifts and then went to Margie's Candies. The name is misleading: it's an ice cream parlor. It's been on the same spot on Western Avenue for over 100 years and has the distinction of being the only restaurant to have served The Beatles (1964), Barack Obama (2004), and now me.
 

Then it was off to Grand Rapids for a family celebration. Christmas Day began with bacon and cinnamon rolls at my niece's home. We exchanged gifts, and I was very excited to give Baby Violet a pair of books by Kevin Henkes. Mr. Henkes created a pair of mouse sisters – Sheila Rae and Lily – and I read their adventures to Violet's mother, my niece, when she was very little. I loved the full circle-ness of this. 

Then we went to my niece's in-laws for Christmas dinner. Violet's birth mother and father, biological aunt and grandfather were also in attendance. I had been apprehensive about this going in – seems like a lot of complicated relationships going on there – but I needn't have been. There was a lot of harmony, a lot of love, around that dinner table. There was also no doubt as to who Violet's parents are. My niece's husband held the baby all through dinner and my niece was the one who decided that Violet was becoming too fussy and the evening was over.

I was surprised to find myself getting along so well with my niece's father-in-law. He loves cycling and so I asked him about cycling. He is writing a novel and I took him seriously as he told me the plot. I pretended he was one of my clients from the olden days and focused on him. This approach wasn't necessarily sincere, but it was a great social lubricant.

The flight back to O'Hare included a surprise. I was bumped to first class! This has never happened to me before. Unfortunately, the flight is only 50 minutes. Wouldn't it be nice if something similar happens on my long-ass flight to LA this spring?

Anyway, it's been a decade since I've flown first class. I either didn't know or didn't recall that when you get priority treatment, so does your bag. I admit I was a little embarrassed when my bag appeared on the luggage carousel way, way before anyone else's, and with this colorful tag attached. I guess I'm just not a first class kinda gal.

It's funny, but while it doesn't look like a particularly action packed holiday, I'm so tired. I think maybe post Yuletide blues is a thing. But it was a Merry Christmas nevertheless. 

 

Saturday 9

SATURDAY 9: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 From the archives

1. If you could ask Santa for anything at all, right now, what would it be? Shoes that don't pinch. On Black Friday I ordered a pair of shoes. I was told they wear well once you break them in. I've been breaking them in – so now I'd feel guilty returning them – but they aren't wearing well. If for some reason Santa doesn't come through, I will be at the shoe store in search of comfort.

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there? I'd put me on the Nice List. I try to be kind.

3. Are you traveling this Christmas? If so, are you going by car, plane or train? I'm flying to Grand Rapids to spend Christmas with my niece, her husband and Baby Violet. (It's Violet's first Christmas!)

4. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If yes, which one traveled the farthest? My cousin Rose is getting a Funko Pop Yoda for her Star Wars collection. (Chicago to Tampa: 1,145 miles.) My oldest friend is getting a gift card for pizza. She's spending the holidays with her daughter and I hope she uses it to spring for dinner one evening between Christmas and New Year's. (Chicago to Los Angeles: 2,030 miles.)

5. Did you buy yourself a gift this year? I just ordered myself a shirt from gift shop at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. I visited that memorial twice and loved it dearly. I want a souvenir with the logo on it before it's defiled.

6. Which do you prefer: candy canes or gingerbread? Gingerbread.

7. Can you see any holiday decorations from where you're sitting now? There are 16 Christmas cards on my door. They make me happy.

8. What's your favorite winter beverage? I'd like some Bailey's Irish Creme. I'm a grown up, and so I shall have some.

9. Share a memory from last Christmas. It was 12 months ago that my niece and her hubs told us they were ready to adopt. Both the state agency and their lawyer said it could take "up to 3 years." Just six months later, in June, Violet joined our family! Talk about your Christmas miracles.

 

 

Thursday Thirteen #443

 Keeping it merry and bright. I won't be home for Christmas so I don't decorate much. I hang a wreath on the front door and switch to a floor mat with a kitty wearing a Santa hat. That's it. I travel with a teeny-tiny nativity scene and a Santa doorknob hanger, so when I wake up in a hotel room on Christmas morning I will feel festive.

But decorating for the holiday is big business. I saw a stat that said the average American household spends between $100 and $300 on holiday decorations each year. If that sounds high, I should clarify that includes a Christmas tree. 

So what are we spending this $100 to $300 on? Here are 13 of the most popular at Walmart.com. Because each may go off and on sale between now and Christmas, I'm listing the regular price.

1. Merry Christmas Banner for hanging on the inside of your front door or the entry to your dining room. Reg. price: $16.99

 

2. Artificial Norfolk Pine Garland for mantle or staircase. Reg. price: $5.55

 

3. 3-piece Deer Set, each wearing a red ribbon, to illuminate the front yard. Reg. price $157.99

 

4.  "In Memory" Ornament to remember "a life so beautifully lived and a heart so deeply loved." Reg. price $14.99

 

5. 4-ft. Pre-lit Artifical Tree with white lights and black tinsel. Reg. $66.99

 

6. Pair of Solar-Powered Christmas Trees for the front yard. Reg. $49.99 

 

7. Gingerbread Initial Letter Ornament. Remember how Mary Tyler Moore had an "M" on her wall? Now you can have an ornament with your initial on your tree. Reg. $3.39

 

8. 9 ft. Red Berry Light Garland to decorate your mantle or staircase. Reg. 23.99 

 

9. Lighted Snowman for the front lawn. Reg. 87.49

 

10. Tabletop Pre-lit Christmas Tree, just 20". Reg. $19.99 

 

11. Plush Christmas Gnomes, one red and one green. Reg. 24.99

 

12. Brass Bell Door Hanging, "vintage authentic" cowbells to decorate your door. $12.99 

 

13. Tabletop Nativity Scene. Figures shown in silhouette, made in metal. Reg. price $39.99

How about you? Are you surrounded by holiday decorations? Did you buy any new pieces this year?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: First Christmas (2024)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) The song mentions snowmen and snow on a windowpane. Has it snowed near you yet? Yes. More than once. We ended November with the snowiest Friday that month has ever seen here in Chicago. More snow fell after that and we're expecting up to another inch this weekend. So YAY! White Christmas!

2) Diane Keaton sings that hearing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" makes her miss someone she loved who won't be coming home at all. Is there a Christmas song that reminds you of a loved one? The wretched "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" reminds me of my favorite uncle. He looooved it. Especially the line, "As for me and Grandpa, we believe." It is not representative of him. He was a clever, sophisticated man. Yet Elmo & Patsy got him every time. So every time I hear that vomitous song, I smile despite myself.

 

3) After the song was first released for Christmas 2024, Diane said she appreciated how many people posted on her Instagram, sharing their "First Christmas journeys," explaining how they navigated the first holiday season without someone special. What have you recently posted on social media (other than this blog post)? Two Facebook friends – one a former coworker, the other a member of my movie group – celebrated 12/12 birthdays. I wished them each many happy returns of the day.

4) Diane appeared in the Broadway musical Hair and sang in movies like Annie Hall and The First Wives Club. Still she didn't consider herself "much of a singer." How about you? What's something you do, even though you're not completely comfortable doing it? Signing people up for the rewards program at the card shop. I have to enter the customer's name and email address myself. Chicagoland is very diverse. Normally I embrace this, but admit I stumble over the spelling of surnames like Czajkowski and Carrasquillo.

 

5) This was Diane's first and, sadly, her only record. She was nervous doing it, but it helped that the lyrics was written by her friend, Carole Bayer Sager, and that both Carole and her writing partner, Jonas Myrin, were with Diane in the studio. Tell us about a friend who came through for you. Last month, my friend Joanna went out of her way to make this a happy birthday for me. She knows it's been hard for me after the deaths of two close friends last year. It was so kind of her.

6) After her 75th birthday, Diane said she was excited that new ventures were coming her way and she found herself saying "yes" more often. In addition to recording this week's song, she accepted an unexpected offer from Look Optic to design eyewear. Have you recently tried something you've never done before? OR What's something you'd like to try? More than a decade ago, I tried to learn Spanish. I was interrupted by a health challenge. Once I got through it, I just didn't return to Spanish lessons. I should!

 

Now for some questions about the holiday season ...

7) Do you display the holiday cards you receive? Yes. I have 9 taped to my door so far. Looking at them makes me happy.

8) This is a big time of hear for necklaces, hats and headbands decorated with jingle bells. Will you be wearing any bells this season? No.

 
9) The website Morning Save included these three items on their list of this season's popular gifts. Would you rather receive: a. cup holder/phone mount for your car; b. sherpa lined clog slippers; c. set of three stainless paring knives with rosemary green plastic handles? Slippers. What's not to like about slippers?

 

 

 

Thursday Thirteen #442

My mom would approve of this TT. She took our holiday cards very seriously. I was taught that you never, ever, just sign your name to a card. You begin with a "Dear So-and-So" and close with some  personal sentiment. 

 

In some ways, I am my mother's daughter. This is one of them. And so here are 13 sentiments for you to use as you sign off on your holiday cards. 

1. May your holidays be merry and bright (mine for 2025)

2. Enjoy the wonders of the season (I've used this one in the past)

3. Sending holiday cheer

4. With love and hope for the year ahead

5. Have a cool yule and quench your thirst on the first (I always signed my cards to my late friend John that way)

6. Thank you for a wonderful year (good for doctors, my hair stylist, etc.)

7. Happiest of holidays 

8. Peace and joy

9. Cheers!

10. Season's greetings (simple and elegant, like a little black dress or single strand of pearls)

11. Here's to a holly, jolly holiday season (I've used this one, too)

12. Happy Krimble (suitable for Beatle fans. IYKYK)

13. Sending love and blessings 

What about you? Did you send cards this year? Have you received many yet?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: We Belong Together (2005)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

This month we're going to recall Summer Songs. These will all be records that topped the charts during August.

1) Number 1 on the charts in August 20 years ago, "We Belong Together" is about the end of this romantic relationship. Mariah sings that now she won't have anyone to talk to on the phone until the sun comes up. That was then. Today many people prefer to text than to talk on the phone. Are you one of those people? No! Of course, texts are fine for, "I'm on my way ..." or "Running late." But for everything else, I'd much rather have a conversation, where I can hear your voice and ask you for clarification. Fewer misunderstandings and greater connection with phone calls. Failing that, I'd prefer a nice, long email that truly expresses how you feel. 

2) The video for this song features an elaborate wedding. Tell us about the last wedding you attended. My friend Kathleen's daughter got married almost a year ago. I held her as a baby, so it was rather emotional for me to see her as a beautiful bride. It really is a gift to watch someone grow up before your eyes.

3) Mariah believes she inherited her musical gifts from her mom, who was an opera singer and vocal coach. When things were hectic in their household, Mariah recalls that music helped bring her and her mom closer together. Share a happy childhood memory featuring you and one of your parents. I realize now how much effort my mom put into preserving Santa Claus for us. Santa's gifts came in special wrapping paper. The tags were written in a different ink and an unfamiliar handwriting (her left hand). Things like that. It was really sweet, how seriously she took it and how important maintaining that magic was to her.

4) After graduating from high school in Long Island, Mariah Carey went to Manhattan in search of stardom. While waiting for her big break, she enrolled in beauty school and waited tables. Both stylists and servers receive gratuities for their services. Do you consider yourself a good tipper? I try.

5) The Fresh Air Fund operates six camps in the New York area to provide kids with a chance to learn and explore outdoors. They named Camp Mariah in Ms. Carey's honor to thank her for her support. Here's your chance to toot your own horn. Tell us about an honor you received. (Anything from a major award to a handmade drawing that says "World's Best Mom" counts. We want to hear about it.) Back in the 1990s I won a Clio. I used to be very proud of it, because it's advertising's most prestigious award. With time, I stopped displaying it in my office and never mentioned it because advertising is such an ageist industry. Eventually I actually became ashamed of it because I won it before some of my coworkers were born. I thought the year it was bestowed on me branded me as a dinosaur. Now that the advertising chapter of my life is over, I realize that was kind of sad. My work won national recognition. I wish I had enjoyed it more.

6) Mariah has mentioned she enjoys pizza and red wine. Will you be enjoying either pizza or red wine this weekend? Had pizza today (Friday) so I doubt I'll repeat. Unfortunately, wine gives me migraines, so that's a very hard no.

Let's look at the summer of 2005.

7) The biggest news story that summer was Hurricane Katrina. This deadly and destructive storm killed over 1,000 people and did more than $100 billion in damage. Have you ever endured a natural disaster (such as hurricane, flood, landslide, tornado, blizzard, wildfire)? When I was 9, we had what Chicagoans still refer to as The Big Snow. More than 20" fell in just a few hours. It wasn't just the snow total – which was prodigious – it was the speed with which Mother Nature dumped it on us. While the adults in my world were freaking out as all roads, schools and businesses closed, I had a glorious time. There were such drifts in our backyard that I was able to walk over to our neighbor's property. The snow had completely obliterated their 5' chain link fence. My mom warned me to never, never, never do that again. As the snow melted I could have been impaled on that fence. But when you're 9, you don't think of such things. You're just having adventures.

8) Popular that summer was Kingda Ka, the new roller coaster at Six Flags Great America in Jackson, NJ. At the time, it was the tallest and fastest roller coaster in the world. Have you been to any fairs or amusement parks this summer? No. It's been too hot!

9) Award-winning American figure skater Alysa Liu was born in August of 2005. NBC Sports and their Peacock network report that figure skating events get high ratings. What's your favorite sport to watch on TV? Go, Cubs, Go!

 

 

Catching up on Christmas

I wanted to sketch out my memories of the 2024 holiday season before they fade. 

I saw Santa! For the third year in a row, my friend Elaine and I went to see It's a Wonderful Life on the big screen at The Music Box Theater. Before the movie, Santa himself came out and joined the organist, leading us in a singalong. 

As the kids say, IYKYK

As always, we dressed appropriately for the occasion. I wore my ugly Cubs Christmas sweater, always festive and especially fitting because The Music Box is in Wrigleyville. Elaine outdid herself. She got down to business at her sewing machine and recreated George's football jersey, right down to the stripes and a 3 on her chest. Naturally we both wore reindeer ears.

Afterward we exchanged gifts over hot chocolate. It's funny, but she and I just can't the gift thing right. Last year, she spent way more than I did. So this year I spent a little more and she spent less! Oh well, money is not the point of gift giving.

Thinking of gifts ... Mindy got it together this year. She and her husband got me this blanket and a book (We All Shine On). This is noteworthy because she just could never commit to a holiday date in 2023, and therefore last year was the first time in decades that Mindy and John and I didn't celebrate together. Naturally she couldn't have known that would be John's last Christmas, but she felt it keenly. We met at a bar and had a lovely, albeit bittersweet, time. 

It looks a little like me, too!

I spent a lot of time at O'Hare. There was a technical glitch first thing on Christmas Eve morning and while American Airlines corrected it quickly, flights were off schedule all day. So I was at the airport for four hours awaiting a flight that took 55 minutes. Was I happy about this? Of course not. But there was nothing to be done so I made the best of it. The airport had some lovely decorations.

The American Airlines terminal

I actually saw someone use The Pot Box! My friend Kathleen and I fascinated by the green "amnesty" mailbox just on the other side of the TSA checkpoint where travelers can dump their pot to avoid penalty for transporting weed across state lines. Neither of us has ever seen anyone take advantage of this ... until Christmas Eve. I saw a guy in a knit cap deposit a baggie. I wanted to ask him if he'd just forgotten it in his bag or if he was unaware it was illegal to fly with weed, but he looked so guilty and embarrassed I didn't have the heart.

I caught a bad cold. Merry Christmas, right? Oh well, my hotel was right there by the airport and was very comfy. I got to my room, took a hot shower, and wrapped my gifts with Elf on in the background. Fortunately I was able to sleep in on Christmas Day. The extra sleep and another shower left me feeling a little better. (It was just a cold, after all.)

My niece came out to the car. I took a rideshare to her home and she was so happy to see me she met me. That little gesture touched my heart. We had a lovely ham dinner with lots of starchy sides. She's a very good cook and a very proud homeowner. She showed me the room that has been designated as the nursery for the baby they're waiting to adopt. (My nephew was sleeping in there on an air mattress.) My sister was a little arch and brittle, but I guess that's just the way we're going to be with each other.

She has a pair of swans! They aren't hers, exactly. They live in the creek behind her home and I could watch them from her backdoor. I had no idea that mute swans don't migrate and stay in the cold midwest throughout the winter.

So there you have it, my first Christmas with neither Henry or John. I miss them and it was painful at times. I couldn't help recalling those Key West Christmas lunches with fresh seafood and long walks with Henry on the beach. But I was lucky to have known them at all, and luckier that I still have people to love in my life, because love is what Christmas is about.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

 

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Do I really need to provide a synopsis for this one? Surprisingly short, it's a masterpiece and I'm glad I'm finally reading it. Now, to go from the sublime to the ridiculous ...

 
2. What did you recently finish reading? Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey. A  superstar band, Steel Birds, broke up suddenly and bitterly and left their legion of fans reeling. The duo's music is embraced by each subsequent generation and the Steel Birds legend continues to grow. The members -- Trina and Octavia -- steadfastly refuse to perform together ever again.

 

Trina and Octavia were both pregnant when they broke up and weren't speaking when Trina's daughter, Melody, and Octavia's son, Beat, were born. Still, the kids grew up together in a way, linked together by the paparazzi and on gossip sites. Beat was the charmed one, the one the camera loved, and he grew up to be one of People's Sexiest Men Alive. Melody's awkward teen years were chronicled cruelly, leaving her feeling awkward and never quite enough

 

Thirty years after the band's break-up, a producer tries to reunite Steel Birds at Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve and offers Beat and Melody $1 million to bring their mothers together. Of course Melody and Beat are going to have a Christmas romance.

 

This book was silly. I'm not sorry I read it, because it got me thinking of second-generation celebrity and the onus it puts on people who never requested it. But it is not sexy, romantic, or Christmas-y. I do not recommend it. 

3. What will you read next? Trial by Ambush by Marcia Clark.

 

Saturday 9

SATURDAY 9: HAPPY HOLIDAYS

 From the archives

1. As you can see, when Sam Winters was a little girl, she loved giving her annual wish list to Santa. If you could ask Santa for anything at all, right now, what would it be? A contract for Anthony Rizzo.

2. Are you currently on the Naughty or Nice list? How did you get there? I am on the Nice List because every day I try to be kind and do good. Or, in Gone with the Wind parlance, be more Melly than Scarlett.

3. Are you traveling this Christmas? If so, are you going by car, plane or train? I am flying to Grand Rapids to see my niece's new home.

4. Did you ship any gifts to friends and family this year? If yes, which one traveled the farthest? My cousin Rose lives near Tampa, loves her coffee, and enjoyed her trip to Italy so I sent her a mug decorated by a map of Italy. This make-up bag went farther, winging its way to my oldest friend in So Cal. I slipped a $25 Target gift card inside. I chose Target because even though she has mobility issues and lives in a rather rural are, Target delivers anywhere and has stuff everyone needs. (Her medical issues and living situation make her difficult to buy for.)

 
5. Did you buy yourself a gift this year? Yes! I got a Black & Decker cordless stick vac. It's a little noisier than I'd like -- I worry about my downstairs neighbor -- but the suction is good and it's so convenient.

6. Which do you prefer: candy canes or gingerbread? Gingerbread.

7. Close your eyes and tell us the first carol that comes to mind. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.

8. What's your favorite winter beverage? This weekend I'm doing a little socializing and have committed to trying my first-ever hot toddy. Maybe it will become my favorite winter beverage.

9. Share a memory from last Christmas. Last year was the 40th anniversary of the Christmas singalong with Santa preceding It's a Wonderful Life at Chicago's Music Box Theater. I've attended before, but it was especially sweet to be part of the anniversary celebration. I'm using my commemorative mug right now.

Thursday Thirteen #391

For Her. From 1974. I got my start as a writer for the Sears Catalog in 1981, but I began flipping through it as a little girl. I fantasized about what I wanted to wear, how I wanted my future home to look, and at Christmastime, what I wanted to find under the tree.

So for this week's TT, I wanted to see how we were celebrating Christmas fifty years ago and I looked to the Sears Wish Book. I was happy to see the headline written by one of my predecessors, "Gifts for Gals to Give or Get." Here's what I found on those pages:

1. "8 famous fragrances on an elegant boudoir tray." Tiny bottles (about .5 oz.) of Courant, Tigress, Ambush, Emeraude, Heaven Scent, Maja, Tweed and Chantilly a "dainty" filigreed tray. $8.98.

2. Nail care kit. Five shades of nail polish, four emery boards, a cuticle pusher and a pack of tissues in a zipper case with a tab handle. "Remove the contents and you have a handy little tote-purse." $4.98.

3. Bird cage music box. A yellow bird behind gold metal bars "dances to the tune of 'We've Only Just Begun.'" $7.98.

4. Roomy sewing basket. Brown wood basket with "attractive red bandana print cotton trim and lining." 9 in. tall, 7 in. high. $4.98.

5. Profile charms. Ready to hang on a bracelet (not included), choose from a boy's or girl's profile. First initial and birthdate engraved at no extra cost. $3.99.

6. Double-link charm bracelet. "Beautifully crafted of rhodium-plated sterling silver ... individually gift-boxed." 7.5 in. long. $5.99.

7. Ivory pendant. "Deeply petaled rose shape" on an 18 in. chain. Gift boxed. $5.99.

8. Treasure chest jewelry box. "Covered with charming multi-colored birds and flowers." Lined with pink rayon. $6.99.

9. Black and gold bead necklace. "Just the right accessory." 26 in. long. $7.00.

10. Beret and scarf set. The beret "sports a jaunty pom-pom" and the 6-ft. long scarf has a "dashing" knotted trim. In 6 colors. $7.00.

11. Knit gloves with vinyl palm and back. 2-button trim. Remember, "Gloves make great gifts." $3.97

12. Three speed hand mixer. Detachable chrome steel beaters are easy to clean. $6.99.

13. Chess set with a folding board. "Chess is a great game for thinkers." $8.95.

PLEASE NOTE: All of these gifts came in at under $10. Adjusted for inflation, a gift that cost $10 in 1974 would be about $60.75 today.

Can you see your earlier self giving or getting any of these 1974 Christmas gifts?

Please join us for THURSDAY THIRTEEN. Click here to play along, and to see other interesting compilations of 13 things.

WWW.WEDNESDAY

 

 

WWW. WEDNESDAY asks three questions to prompt you to speak bookishly. To participate, and to see how other book lovers responded, click here. 

PS I no longer participate in WWW.WEDNESDAY via that link because her blog won't accept Blogger comments. I mention this only to save you the frustration I experienced trying to link up.

1. What are you currently reading? Wreck the Halls by Tessa Bailey. A lightweight Christmas romance that appeals to the Beatles fangirl in me. It's about a superstar band, Steel Birds, who broke up suddenly and bitterly and left their legion of fans confused and heartbroken. The duo's music is embraced by each subsequent generation and the Steel Birds legend continues to grow. The members -- Trina and Octavia -- steadfastly refuse to perform together, or even speak to one another, ever again.

Thirty years after the band's break-up, a producer tries to reunite Steel Birds at Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve. Why does she think she will succeed where everyone else has failed? She has enlisted Trina's now 30-year old daughter, Melody, and Octavia's son, Beat, also 30, to try to persuade their famous mothers and to livestream the kids' efforts as a reality show. Of course Melody and Beat are going to have a Christmas romance.

Julian and Sean Lennon. Heather, Mary, Stella, James and Beatrice McCartney. Dhani Harrison. Zak, Jason and Lee Starkey. Yes, I can name the Beatles' progeny without looking it up. Julian and Heather never hooked up, but if they had, the Beatles fanverse would have gone mad.

 
2. What did you recently finish reading? Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger. A very good thriller. Taut and scary. Unger uses the small-town Christmas setting to reinforce that evil can exist anywhere.

When Maddie was still in high school, she endured an attack that left her a scar on her cheek and a deeper one on her soul. After a high-profile trial, which rocked her little hometown, the perpetrator was sentenced and Maddie tried to get on her with her life. She runs an independent bookstore and takes care of her dad, who recently suffered a stroke. She is doing the best she can, but her recovery is fragile.

And it's threatened when a famous podcaster enters her shop. He believes the similar unsolved crimes against other young girls in the area means her attacker didn't act alone, or perhaps there's a copycat out there, so he's reopening the case. 

Every few pages I said to myself, "He did it ... no, he did it! ... no, he did it ..." I wasn't always wrong. One of my guesses did turn out to be correct. But that's only because I suspected just about every male in the book.

3. What will you read next? I don't know.

 

Saturday 9

Saturday 9: I Wouldn't Trade Christmas (1968)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

  

1) In addition to Christmas, this song name-checks many major holidays, including Mother's and Father's Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween and Valentine's Day. Which holiday is your favorite? I don't know how to answer this because the 2024 holidays are different from any other. I used to spend Thanksgiving with John and Christmas with Henry. John died in April and Henry in June. Thanksgiving this year was OK, but very different. We'll see how Christmas unfolds.

 

2) The Sinatra family posed in all-white for this album cover in August 1968. Are there any pictures of you and your siblings in matching outfits? Yes. My older sister and I are 19 months apart, one year apart in school. My mom enjoyed dressing us the same, especially for special occasions. I hated it.

3) Nancy is the oldest of the Sinatra children. She's also the one who performed most often on TV and film with her famous father. She played his daughter (of course!) in a movie and appeared in two of his TV specials while he appeared in one of hers. In 1967, she and Frank scored a #1 single with a duet of "Somethin' Stupid." Have you ever worked with a family member or spouse? Nope.

 

4) Frank, Jr., was the middle child and only son. A dedicated musician, he labored in his father's long shadow and joked that he would have had an easier time if he'd chosen real estate instead of music. Tell us about your path not taken. (Examples: A career you wish you'd pursued but didn't; a person you could have married but didn't; a city you almost moved to, but changed your mind.) I once thought I'd enjoy being a court reporter. I'm fascinated by court proceedings. I'm proficient at a keyboard. It seemed like a good fit. But I was eager to move out of my parents' house and didn't want to spend the two years required to get an associate's degree. Instead I took the conventional secretarial route. I ended up at Sears, and from there I was promoted to a catalog copywriter and my advertising career was born. So I guess it all worked out for the best.

 

5) Unlike her father and siblings, Tina Sinatra never wanted to be a singer. She found success as a theatrical agent and, at her father's request, became involved with his business affairs. Today she helps manage the rights to Frank Sinatra's movies and music. Do you have a good head for business? Yes. Or, to be more precise, I have a good head for marketing/strategy. I don't understand investing or the stock market.

6) Nancy and Frank, Jr., were born in Jersey City. By the time Tina was born, the family had relocated to Los Angeles. Did your family move around a lot when you were young? Nope.

And now, in the spirit of the season ...

 

7) Do you consider snow globes a holiday decoration, or do think they should be displayed all year around? I file this under, "Do What You Want."

8) Which of Dickens' Christmas ghosts would you most enjoy spending time with: past, present or future? Past. I look back on my Key West Christmases so fondly now. It was always such a kick to swim in the pool, listening to Christmas tunes, before church on Christmas Eve. And I'd like to walk the beach on Christmas Day with Henry again.

9) Have you crafted, cooked, or baked any gifts this holiday season? Nope.