Saturday, Dec. 24, 2005 - 2:35 p.m.

Happy Birthday Hubby

Happy birthday to my hubby who is 37 today. Yes, on Christmas Eve. Also Happy birthday to Nina who is 31 today! And tomorrow is my brother's birthday. All these people, poor things, never had the opportunity to have real birthday parties when they were kids. Nor did they really have any kind of separate birthday presents. I have, over the years, tried to make a point to give separate presents and to distinguish their birthdays from Christmas. Hence, a couple of years back, I threw Tarik and Nina surprise birthday party in July complete with presents and birthday cake and guests. It was a chore getting Nina to come over here when she didn't feel like going out. But she did, and it was a GREAT time. I am looking at a picture of Tarik and Nina right now at that party. This year, Tarik is getting Space 1999, the complete collection, on DVD. Nina is getting a pair of PJ's covered in yard gnomes.

Tarik is out Christmas shopping and I am home, chilling with the little guy who is napping. It is also another Christmas Eve in shorts as its 70 some odd degrees outside today. Sunny and breezy, but warm none the less. Happens every year. I have spent many a Christmas Eve in shorts.

And someone please stop me from watching "Nestor the Long Eared Donkey" again at Christmas. Its no wonder it didn't run on TV for very long. Its the single saddestChristmas special for kids ever made, even though it has a happy ending. Nstor is horribly treated by his owner, his mother dies saving his life, he is orphaned... its horrible. Better stick with Rudolph and the Grinch. I love watching "The Year Without a Santa Claus" for The Snow Miser and Heat Miser songs, best songs in any of the Christmas specials. Very catchy. Tomorrow I am sure we will catch one of the 500,000 airings of "Christmas Story" on TNT. Gotta watch it every year.

And so far today I have managed to have a very painful, almost debilitaing attack of constipation (I know, TMI), my stomach hurts like hell and I twisted my neck funny. Sigh.... so much anxiety pent up, so many ways to manifest itself physically. Gotta love it.

Merry Christmas every one!

Christmas song virus du jour: "I'm Mister Snow Miser" and "I'm Mister Heat Miser" ~ From: "The Year Without a Santa Claus"

Useless Trivia du Jour: The word Christmas is a contraction of Christ's Mass, derived from the Old English Cristes m�sse. It is often abbreviated Xmas, probably because X resembles the Greek letter Χ (chi) which has often historically been used as an abbreviation for Christ (Χριστός in Greek).