all I want for Christmas is my three back teeth
Friday, Dec. 17, 2004,

I feel like "Jaws", from that old James Bond movie. "Moonraker", I think it was.
The new teeth are going to take some getting used to. I ate pizza with them last night, and all I could think about was how I wanted to pop them out and wash them. Ugh. And I really hate the way the clasp shows in my smile. BUT--it is amazing how they eliminate the jaw sag problem on that side. So that is a plus.

A shallow, superficial, cosmetic, plus.

I'd hang my head in shame, but I'm too enamored of my new jawline.

She loved it. And she wore her magenta twin set, so it matched her beautifully. It even fit her wrist perfectly, which I'd been worried about. I mean, I can't get them right for me, and I have the luxury of trying them on as I go. With her, I was just guessing. So, that was a huge success. YAY!!!!

I gave out "Classic Pooh" cards this year, meaning that Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Piglet, and Eeyore were the real thing; Ernest H. Shepard's original illustrations. Those went over well with everyone. Cute but classy, and only $3.99 for a box of 24 at the drugstore.

What did I get? Let's see...
A sack of cookies and candy from my favorite project person,
a ceramic snowman plate filled with candies from my boss (I gave it to the woman that sits behind me. She has two kids, so now she has a snowman plate for each.)
A 'jeweled' brooch in the shape of Father Christmas from a co-worker who shares my love of beads and jewels.
A poinsettia-designed stained glass picture frame AND a seasonally decorated box of tissues, from someone I don't like very much, but who is into Christmas in a big way.
And from D; a pair of blown glass, ruby-colored lovebird tree ornaments, with marabou tails. They are very beautiful, and I love them.

But.

That is five "seasonally specific" gifts. Things only useful for adorning oneself or one's environment in a seasonally festive manner.

Which I do not do.

Do all of these people honestly think that the only reason for my lack of a festive air is that I don't own anything festive? That if they give me all this stuff, I'll magically turn into some kind of sparkly Christmas elf?

My sister-in-law does this too, wasting enormous amounts of money on banishing exquisite holiday decorations to eternal entombment in my basement.

I suspect that most people have their own agenda for gifting, and it isn't really about choosing the perfect gift for the recipient.

For me, if it isn't the perfect gift, at least it is something useful I give. Like the maple syrup and the lint rollers. No one is going to be in ecstasy over them, but a lint roller is a damned handy gift, and something they were already putting to use this morning.

This is the person I continually bitch about here. The one who was promoted instead of me. The one whose work I'm continually getting stuck with.

The one who apparently really appreciates what I do for her.

She sent our gifts in with a friend, so that we could get them before Christmas. The other women on my team got very pretty little votive candleholders.

I got a $25 gift certificate to a Bead Store. Purrrrrrrrrrrrr.

So I guess she realizes that I'm worth something. 'Cause that is one bitchin' great present to be getting, I'm telling you.

It should never be hard, should you go the gift certificate route, to pick one for me. My super went to D. for advice in the matter. She was told, basically: "She reads, she beads. She never has enough extra money to buy all of the books and beading supplies she wants."

It's just that easy. Permission--no--a directive to shop for books or beads (or show tunes) is heaven to me. It really is the most thoughtful gift you can give me.