A friend of mine, Carrie Godes, had a new baby a couple weeks ago. Her name is Addison Mae and she was just a little peanut (5# 11oz)! Sorry, I don't have any pics of Carrie at the moment, but will try to get some up later.
Here is a shot of me holding Addi and Sari holding her daughter, Juniper.
Juniper is 5 months old and weighed about 4 # 10 oz when she was born. You can see how much she has grown when she's next to Addi!
Some thoughts on Christmas:
This card with the meditating Santa was inside Adbusters. The inside read:
On Christmas, may your heart be light,
Yet brimming up with glee -
A joy too great to be contained
By boxes 'neath the tree.
In case you can't read the words, it says,"And you thought that carrying your Christmas shopping was a burden".
Adbusters is definitely a super left wing mag, but they have great things to say about avoiding materialism and consumerism over the holidays. I appreciated this little snippet, it's worth your time:
The Buy Nothing Christmas Challenge!
Dreading the holiday season? The to-do lists, the lineups and the sales hype? This year, rediscover how folks made merry before the advent of the big-box store. Try tackling our three degrees of Buy Nothing Christmas--three ways to embark on life-long project to bring a bit of authenticity back to the world's greatest religious tradition.
Novice: Rise Above It.
Start with yourself. Forget the heaps of presents: eat, drink , and cheerfully excuse yourself from the annual festival of avarice. Limit your giving to hugs and belly laughs. Then let everyone know that you mean business by giving "holiday Gift-Exemption Vouchers", just one way of saying that you care enough to let your loved ones off the gift giving hook.
Intermediate: Keep it in the Family.
This year, why not gather your friends and family to challenge them to do things differently? With the simplest of plans you can create a new rhythm, purpose, and meaning for the holidays. And if a Buy Nothing Christmas is too extreme for Grandma and the kids, maybe try a Buy Less Christmas. Or a $100 Christmas. Or a Regifting Christmas. Or a Slow Down Christmas. Whatever you decide, 'tis the season to reclaim our celebration from the grip of commercial forces.
Advanced: Take it to the Streets.
Spread both joy and sane holiday alternatives by taking Buy Nothing Christmas to your local malls and commercial districts. Gather together a group of Zenta Clauses to offer stressed out shoppers free soup, coffee, a place to rest their feet. and (most importantly) a few friendly tips for gearing down over the holidays. Or, don a Jesus mask, throw on an old bedsheet, and do the slow-motion Jesus walk for the entertainment of the crowds. It's an absurd yet non-confrontational action that poses one all-important question for the season: "What would Jesus buy?"
Start with yourself. Forget the heaps of presents: eat, drink , and cheerfully excuse yourself from the annual festival of avarice. Limit your giving to hugs and belly laughs. Then let everyone know that you mean business by giving "holiday Gift-Exemption Vouchers", just one way of saying that you care enough to let your loved ones off the gift giving hook.
Intermediate: Keep it in the Family.
This year, why not gather your friends and family to challenge them to do things differently? With the simplest of plans you can create a new rhythm, purpose, and meaning for the holidays. And if a Buy Nothing Christmas is too extreme for Grandma and the kids, maybe try a Buy Less Christmas. Or a $100 Christmas. Or a Regifting Christmas. Or a Slow Down Christmas. Whatever you decide, 'tis the season to reclaim our celebration from the grip of commercial forces.
Spread both joy and sane holiday alternatives by taking Buy Nothing Christmas to your local malls and commercial districts. Gather together a group of Zenta Clauses to offer stressed out shoppers free soup, coffee, a place to rest their feet. and (most importantly) a few friendly tips for gearing down over the holidays. Or, don a Jesus mask, throw on an old bedsheet, and do the slow-motion Jesus walk for the entertainment of the crowds. It's an absurd yet non-confrontational action that poses one all-important question for the season: "What would Jesus buy?"
For more ideas from Adbusters, check out Adbusters.org/BND
2 comments:
I like your thoughts, Adbusters always has some good things rolling through their magazine. My favorite gifts to receive and to give are the ones that are made by the hands of the giver. Sure some of the gifts cost money to make, but the time and effort put into the gift over shadows the cost or lack of cost that went into making it. Hope you and mike can make it out to SLC for some winter time snow and cheer!
GG-
Thanks for your comment. As I was putting the article on my blog, I thought I should add "Or a Handmade Gifts Christmas". As an avid knitter, I absolutely agree with your sentiment.
Joy
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