so, here are some things i like about december, which is very soon:

1. my twin sister's birthday on the 7th. i'm excited to give her some presents, 'cause i got her good ones this year. i do surely believe she will like 'em a whole lot.
2. me. wilco. in the same room. inhaling the same oxygen. december 14th.
   
3. welcoming the welcome wagon's "welcome to the welcome wagon" into my ears. (what's that you say? you haven't pre-ordered your copy yet? geez, people. get on it.)
   
4. "christmas is coming" by vince guaraldi
5. christmas eve, and christmas day, and fhamily
   
6. looking at the big beautiful lights on the old firehouse
   
7. not looking at the little dweeby lights wrapped around two-by-fours and slapped straight across the archways at the library. they didn't make an appearance this year. hallelujah.
   

hang on, i don't think you're seeing the mental picture of #7 quite as clearly as i'd like you to. allow me to illustrate via a photo-realistic rendering a la microsoft paint:


it's enough to make a grown man cry, i tell ya. it's like--it's like--it's like putting a kitschy holiday necktie on james bond. taking something regal and stately and turning it into a bit of a joke. sigh. but! this year there are no christmas decorations on the blessed establishment, and it's just as beautiful as it is every day. and i'm very glad. book sales every second saturday morning. y'ought to come sometime. i'll be there.