Oh, you got me a present. Um, you shouldn't have. Wait, I got you something, too. (Runs to the bedroom, looks in a bag of crap he'd planned on donating to the Salvation Army. Throws something into a used gift bag. Returns with a warm smile.) Okay, here you go, I hope you like it!
Some random Christmas quotes from some random authors:
“Christmas doesn't come from a store, maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more....”
―
Dr. Seuss,
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
“I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.”
―
Charles Dickens
“Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and
we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child
again at Christmas-time.”
―
Laura Ingalls Wilder
“Christmas is doing a little something extra for someone.”
―
Charles M. Schulz
“I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
―
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“Christmas it seems to me is a necessary festival; we require a season
when we can regret all the flaws in our human relationships: it is the
feast of failure, sad but consoling.”
— Graham Greene
“Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart. ”
―
Washington Irving
“What kind of Christmas present would Jesus ask Santa for?”
―
Salman Rushdie
“Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our
childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his
youth; that can transport the sailor and the traveller, thousands of
miles away, back to his own fire-side and his quiet home!”
―
Charles Dickens
“Christmas is built upon a beautiful and intentional paradox; that the
birth of the homeless should be celebrated in every home.”
―
G.K. Chesterton
“I felt overstuffed and dull and disappointed, the way I always do the
day after Christmas, as if whatever it was the pine boughs and the
candles and the silver and gilt-ribboned presents and the birch-log
fires and the Christmas turkey and the carols at the piano promised
never came to pass.”
―
Sylvia Plath
“Hey, great idea: if you have kids, give your partner reading vouchers
next Christmas. Each voucher entitles the bearer to two hours' reading
time *while the kids are awake*. It might look like a cheapskate
present, but parents will appreciate that it costs more in real terms
than a Lamborghini.”
―
Nick Hornby
“Ever since the Christmas of '53, I have felt that the yuletide is a
special hell for those families who have suffered any loss or who must
admit to any imperfection; the so-called spirit of giving can be as
greedy as receiving--Christmas is our time to be aware of what we lack,
of who's not home.”
―
John Irving
“To perceive Christmas through its wrapping becomes more difficult with every year. "
―
E.B. White
"It's as far away now as it'll ever be."
— Gordon Downie
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Were there any books under your tree?
Here's my book haul:
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I had no idea my sister knew me this well. Awesome present. |
And from my wonderful wife, Debbie:
But the absolute biggest surprise was a trip to Florida for the kids. We leave tomorrow and we plan to take in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, Disney, Lego Land, Discovery Cove, and NASA. And seeing as it's -33 degrees here today, that suits us just fine. We've been planning the trip for some time but keeping it super hush-hush so that no one would slip up and reveal it to the kids. The biggest hint I offered here on the blog was a review of Corey Doctorow's Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom a couple weeks back. Needless to say the kids were hysterical this morning. I'm a little nervous about the storms brewing in the US and flight delays, but otherwise very excited. I've a lot of pre-scheduled posts to appear in my absence!