I think one of the best things about being a day ahead of you all, is that I get the chance to open my presents first :) Oh, and to wish you all a Merry Christmas. I need to have a shower, get the Pandyr out of bed, and get over to my aunts so I can see my mum :) Merry Xmas guys :) Hope you all get something good.

Merry Christmas everyone! Love, The Hixons

Merry Christmas! Can I tell you what I'm wearing? Because I'm wearing a skirt for the first time in months and months, and I'm excited and I have to share. I'm wearing: *a black sleeveless tank top of very soft, very light cotton (from Anthropologie) *a black long-sleeved v-neck shirt of the same soft cotton, with smocking underneath the v-neck (from Anthropologie *a black stiff flared cotton skirt with strawberries, green leaves, and daisies embroidered on it -- a summer skirt that I've never worn because I moved before I had a chance to wear it (from Anthropologie) *a strawberry-red light cotton cardigan (Land's End, gotten for free at a clothing giveaway in Ashland) *black stockings *black flats (Born) *lime green rhinestone stud earrings *silver rings *white hemming ribbon tying my two braids together in the middle of the braid And most exciting of all: Coco Chanel perfume. I feel so dressed up! We're going to midnight mass at my parish church. I just had a really nice dinner of black pasta (colored with squid ink) with shrimp, calamari, and crab, and lots of international pastries and candy for dessert. (My mom went to Argentina and Germany in November.)

merry festival of Mithras! We have 3 feet of snow on the ground and it's really cold. just as it should be. I had a Bill Hicks xmas - 3 cds and a book. Whoopee!

this was the best christmas I've ever had, and it was riddled with the breaking of traditions. also, christmas this year really reminded me that I am the black sheep of the family. not that I mind such things.

I had a marvelous Christmas except for all the driving. We drove up to Wolf Point to see the future family in law, then down to Billings to see both sides of my family. Three Christmases. I read lots. I, Robot The Secret Life of Bees The Cat Who Walked Through Walls Zeitgeist I bought myself shoes that don't hurt me. I went to this great old German guy who could perfectly play a 19th century cobbler. He wore a vest and everything. He cannibalized a couple sets of insoles to make the shoe fit my foot just so. I wanted to get some Mephistos because that's what he wears and he says the word in such a way that tells you that they're the very best shoes. But they're too expensive. Got some really nice headphones, some tools, and a Mr. Rootbeer home brewing kit. And a new hat!

I got a bunch of DVDs... and labyrinthitis I like the DVDs more.

labyrinthitis?

inner ear infection.

I got a digital camera, DVDs: Elf, Dodgeball, and the Star Wars Trilogy, several shirts, some socks, CDs: Max Richter, The Arcade Fire, and the new Isis, Books: Corregidora by Gayl Jones and Despair by Vladimir Nabokov. And cash. I also got an early Christmas present which was a beautiful lambswool coat we found on sale ($120 from $250). Sem got me a beautiful celtic necklace and a hat with Stewie on it. And more books: The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maughm and Never Coming to a Theatre Near You (Reviews and lists of somewhat obscure movies). And Invader Zim socks.

What a coincidence -- I have an inner ear infection too. Or had...it's better now. Wolf Point, TBone! I have a couple students who go there a lot. It's on the Fort Peck reservation, isn't it? Is it beautiful up there?

I got a bag's worth of useless crap that i just dropped of at the charity store (always convenient since i work there). This year was a year of many returns and re-gifts, but i don't mind. Mom and dad bought me an mp3 player. I would never use an mp3 player, so they'll return it and they gave me the cash, which i used to hit up the Boxing Day sales for games and accesories for my Game Boy. They said they expected this to happen, and were not upset. I got some books, half went to charity. You know they were crap books if I'm giving them away. Most of the crap comes from my aunt. Everything i get from her makes me say "....what?" Usually i keep the stuff, out of guilt (like the glow-in-the-dark toilet seat I got for my birthday, what the fuck), but this year i filled a bag for charity as soon as i got home. I've no patience for it this year. It's going away NOW. Tube of cheese Pringles (gross)- gone plain grey touque (i have a winter hat)- gone light up pen (...what?)- gone box of fancy chocolate truffles (i HATE chocolate truffles)- gone drinking game set (i don't drink)- gone I've given away half of what i got. Not just from her, from everyone. I know my aunt means well, and I'm generally known for my crazy crap collection, but our senses of humour are drifting apart. I wonder if i should say something. I got that dancing Homer in a santa suit that sings X-mas songs and says Homer phrases. Yeah, thats going back to WalMart with all speed. When i opened that one I realized with some sadness that my parents really don't know very much about me any more. But, as far as the good things went, they were VERY good. -Mom made a crazy necklace pendant for me out of some melted-down stained glass. Oh, her and her glass. -I got this Disney-On the Front Lines. It's a collection of the shorts Disney studios made during WWII. It's really amazing, and mostly propaganda cartoons that have never been seen since the 40's. It's hilariously funny and deeply disturbing, just like all war propaganda, except it's got Donald and Mickey and the seven dwarfs, so it's extra fucked up. -And a sweet flatscreen computer monitor.

mmmm. i got a flat tire for christmas. and insomnia. also.... * donald duck rhinestone tank * black zip-up wool sweater (to be returned, i cannot abide pure wool on bare skin) * chinook book (coupon book for local and internet environmentally responsible businesses) * secret portland book * pompeii book (historical fiction.... by richard harris) * introduction to kafka book * funny glasses made from kitchen strainers * stand up hat rack (no closet) * compact compressed air for filling tires * headlamp (for fixing flats in the dark) * blanket * shimmer powder * chocolate * khakis with tons of pockets * red slippers with cats wearing scarves on them * plaid flannel pjs * lime green fleece pullover * lime green fleece zipup * all-weather moccasins (these actually fit the arches in my feet, the first shoes ever that have done so...) i was very pleasantly surprised. with the exception of material and sizing issues, everything was something i could use. it was great.

I got the worst Christmas card from my step dad's sister. It's so bad that I'm going to keep it forever. The sad thing is they so loved this card that they had them custom printed with their names in them. front inside

That card is fucking hilarious. Its everything us foreigners think. I got: vouchers for ezibuy (clothing) earings fake diamond on a necklace vintage necklace and earings cow bag (think I will eventually sell this on trademe - kiwi version of ebay) lollies a christmas coffee cup curious purfume (yes its britney spears purfume, but damn if it isn't yummy - and I find it really hard to get purfume i like on me) grease on dvd cds i was pretty damn spoilt. I searched high and low here for some invader zim stuff to get andrew but couldn't find any. think i will have to import for his birthday instead.

i have invader zim socks and a journal now because i am cool...

Tbone- that card WINS. I especially like how the front takes a few seconds to register and then BAM! PUKE! XMAS! AMERICA!!! oh, it's glorious.

Yeah, I didn't notice the front either until I got smacked with the inside. Merry Americhristmas!

Yeah speaking of importing Moonit, let me know if you still need a middleman and all. Oh. My. God. That card is horrific.

That card filled me with the urge to defecate. Yet I did not.

OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! IT'S A FLAAAAGGGGG!!!!

That card has spunky all over it.

No flags on the Christmas cards this year.......sorry to dissapoint you. But I am sure his family would have loved that card.

i dont know what you see sem, but i dont see any spunk on any card. thats just disgusting man. christmas. my family was considerably more generous to me and eva for obvious reasons. i scored some old music from an amazon wish list that ive had for years. backlist albums from cramps, joy division. i got a box set of the miles/coltrane columbia years which is unfuckin believable. i also got som unexpected emotional surprises involving ex's mine and others. i got some sleep. i got some much needed extra time with the little one which we spent watching some new movies she got as well as playing playdoh. in addition, i got some much needed darkroom work done, including the dozen rolls of film for nate, who owes me a blow and a cuddle now as it was nearly 6 hours straight of processing in torturous cold darkroom. i suffer for my art admittedly, but still. you can see some kid pics http://www.printroom.com/ViewAlbum.asp?userid=accustat1&album_id=191842

Patrick, that's not snow in the paintings on that card.

Happy New Year, Sorabjiites. Ya'll don't know me, but I discovered this site earlier this year and I've been skulking around ever since. I love Mark's photos of NYC and your threads are always interesting, if somewhat intense at times. I'm in Tampa, preparing to attend tonite's BNL concert with some friends (we're calling it the Working Moms Gone Wild tour) and thoroughly enjoying the mild temperatures, especially in the wake of hurricane season. Best of luck to you all in 2005.

Merry christmas + happy new year... i've only read a bit but it sounds like things are running around in a regular fun and semi-sane way here in sorabjiland. I'll think of this as my christmas letter to y'all. I'm still at school, studying biology and environmental studies, reading when i have time, cooking, hiking, and starting to learn Spanish. Home for break means parents and brother and lots of catch-up-reading time, so I've been engrossed in Dharma Bums, Wicked, and I'm in the middle of The Botany of Desire, which is awesome. This year I travelled to Peru, celebrated for the Red Sox, voted absentee, and mourned the reelection. I spent the past semester learning GIS and a bit of cartography, which was fun and exciting. I haven't got a working internet connection in my dorm room at this point, so I dont know that I'll be around any more this spring than I have been the past year or so, but I love checking back in here and seeing that you are all still arguing and laughing and whatnot. Here's to a happy new year for everyone here.

Happy New Year to you too!!! CHEERS!!!!

I got a diamond watch for Christmas, very beautiful...:)

Dodi,CHRIST,YOU STILL POST????????,to this place???.....v,s jaw drops open in amazement...."thinks" how come such an amazing,good looking girl posts to such a bunch of creeps, ,part from v ???... :)...thought you were gone forever..."thinks" v will allways keep stuck to my office wall your pic,and when guys come in my office and say "Shit v,who is that good looking gal on your wall" v says "just a friend"... :)

Dodi,you are famous in London,England.

happy holidays to you as well Ophelia, i was wondering how you were doing.

Merry Xmas guys. Everyone in my house is still asleep. I'm about to make strawberry and contreau trifle - not sure how it will turn out but who cares!

Ho ho ho to alla y'alls. I'm making chocolate bouchons (little cakes). Next on the list is glittery lemon cookies.

Skipthe strawberry and just add crushed ice. Swizzle, drink slowly, repeat. Happy happy, Moonie, and everyone else too. My one son is in CA this holiday and the other, who spent the morning with me here, is going to join him tomorrow. I head out to phx Saturday. Enjoy, be safe, watch out for reindeer, brake for elves, send money to Droopy, Nate, and Me. Enjoy the youngins Kazu and Sem, SaRAH and Senior. Did I forget to say a special hello to...

I made Russian tea cookies with dandelion jelly (and others with blackberry jelly, but that's not as interesting) and great oatmeal chocolate cookies. My aunt made snickerdoodles and awesome 7-layer cookies that someone should hide from me because they will be gone tomorrow morning otherwise. Very good! Happy Christmas!

Merry Christmas to you all. Mark, droopy, heather, Danielssss, spider, moonit, agatha, semillama,Antigone,nate,kazu, the funeral euology group, and many others. :-) and almost forgot jaq.....