So it’s been entirely too long since I’ve written here, and I blame an overabundance of holiday-centric activities. …Namely, working, so that I can afford all of those holiday-centric things. Like gifts, for example, and Valium.

Anyway.

I’m a glutton for punishment, maybe, because I’ve already got too much on my plate as it is, but the ridiculous events of another Black Friday (the death of a retail worker, most of all) disgusted me on a level that I cannot accurately express. I could go on for awhile about how inane I think it all is, how I work retail (thankfully in a store that doesn’t sponsor ANY Black Friday sales) and have the WORST CUSTOMERS EVER at 9am on the day after Thanksgiving (seriously, guys? Go home and go back to sleep, because the lack of it? Yeah, it MIGHT MAKE YOU CRABBY, JUST SAYING.), or how I think the term “Black Friday” is so unnecessarily dramatic for a day of shopping. I could go into detail about how it’s one thing when some crazed shopper who chose to be standing in line at the buttcrack of dawn gets injured in some silly rush, but it’s totally another when it’s a temp holiday worker who’s just trying to make some extra cash for his family at the holidays, who is not only injured by a mob of mindless Pavlov’s dogs, but killed — but I suppose you’re all getting how negatively I look upon all of that, aren’t you? Mission accomplished. Moving on, now.

I decided to take the Handmade Pledge:

The only exceptions I’m allowing are books and smaller gifts that I’ve picked up throughout the year.** Otherwise, everything else must be handmade, either by me or someone else.

I’m a crafty type of gal, and really, I have fun with this sort of thing. It’s also given me reason to really poke around on Etsy.com, something I’m always saying I’ve got to do more of, and I have to say — I haven’t been disappointed. Some favorite shops are Smokey Mountain Scents, Marcus Berkner Jewelry, and Finders Keeper. I would go into more detail, but I’ve got some Christmas surprises to preserve, here.

On that note, it’s Dad’s birthday, so I’m off to do some gift-giving. …And some further gift-preparing, actually, since the gift I ordered for him has yet to arrive. Way to go, Brookstone, way to go.  (I did not take theHandmade Pledge for Dad’s birthday; he’s difficult enough to buy for, period, and really, if I had to do much more digging into the depths of my brain before this blasted year is over, I think you’d need to secure me a nice rocking chair at Happydale.)

Happy Sunday, all.

**I keep a plastic tub in the basement, labeled “Gifts,” and throughout the year (especially during those after-Christmas markdowns, when we’re all suddenly privy to exactly HOW ripped off we were before December 25th), when I see something cute or inexpensive or perfect for a friend, I buy it and  leave it in the box until I can use it. It works pretty fabulously, I’ll be honest. :)