Cheers to You, My Friends

 

 

I’m making a list. I’m checking it twice. I’m going to toast you. Naughty or nice.

Seriously, it doesn’t matter. Either way, you’re good on my list.

Every year, during the holidays, I watch A Christmas Carol and It’s a Wonderful Life. Numerous times. Many numerous times. And, while I watch these films, I eat yummy foods. And drink delicious beverages. Sometimes seasonal beer, sometimes red or white wine, sometimes a treat of something sweet like Baileys. It’s a tradition.

So is toasting. The drink, the meal, the movie, the season…

And this year I’m adding you, my bloggy friends and fellow tweeps. Because, whatever my love/hate relationship with social media, the blogging “rules” I refuse to stress myself over, keeping up online appearances, I still appreciate you. Muchly. I love the comments, conversation, and community. You are the wind beneath my fins. (I could not even help that and have no idea where it came from—apologies.)

Back to my list. I’m actually making one. For real. Leave a comment with your preferred movie. I will raise my glass to you in gratitude, good health, and a happy holiday.

Thank you, gentle readers.

Cheers!

 

My Sunday thoughts in 200 words or less.

Happiness, joy, peace, love, chocolate, wine, and cheese platters, my friends! Happy Holidays! ❄️

(A Christmas Carol or It’s a Wonderful Life? P.S. If you don’t care for either of these movies, please, I beg of you, don’t tell me. It will hurt my delicate feelings. But, if you feel the need, just write: “I won’t say… Cheers!” and I will still include you on my list.)

Last-Minute Holiday Gifts from the Heart

 

 

These are some of the charities we give to regularly. We love them. I’ve sorted out the ones that let you email the recipient or print your own card.

Quick, easy, heartfelt. The perfect last-minute gifts:

 

Environment / Nature

ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION

Mission: “to improve water and air quality, slow climate change, and reduce poverty by planting trees.”

These Trees in Celebration certificates are lovely and every single dollar you spend plants a tree. They also offer “Give-A-Tree E-Cards” to send a holiday greeting with meaning. Because. Trees. Behold the beautiful trees! 🌲

• About Arbor Day Foundation

 

Animals / Wildlife 

ASPCA

Mission: “animals are entitled to kind and respectful treatment at the hands of humans and must be protected…”

Show your love for our four-legged friends. Give a holiday gift card in honor of a beloved furchild. I can’t stand the cuteness of that puppy. You know you want to help these little munchkins. Available in ecards.

• About ASPCA

 

Hunger / Poverty

HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

Mission: “to work with communities to end world hunger and poverty and to care for the Earth.”

Choose a donation and print it out, email, or text with a custom message to the gift recipient. Or you can give a gift card (to print out or send via email) so they can choose their own donation.

* My personal favorite gift to give is honeybees. They are awesome. Here are 2 reasons why:

“Food for Life: Honey is the only food that includes all the essential elements necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals and even water. Its unique chemical makeup also allows it to be preserved indefinitely.”

“Farmers’ Helpers: In the process of searching for nectar, bees pollinate plants. The placement of a single colony can potentially double local fruit and vegetable yields.”

Isn’t that incredible? It’s the bee’s knees. 🐝

•  About Heifer International

 

KIVA

Mission: “to connect people through lending to alleviate poverty. We celebrate and support people looking to create a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.”

Print these out or email them to the gift recipient and they can start loaning right away. Change someone’s life, get paid back, help someone else… And on it goes. Making spirits bright.

• About Kiva

 

Childhood Cancer/Childhood Diseases

ST. JUDE CHILDREN’S RESEARCH HOSPITAL

Mission: “Finding cures. Saving children. St. Jude is leading the way the world understands, treats and defeats childhood cancer and other life-threatening diseases.”

Please do check out the site if you don’t already know about St. Jude Children’s Hospital. And, if you do, well… ‘Nuff said.

Printable Christmas Cards

Ecards for Christmas

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Printable Hanukkah Cards

Ecards for Hanukkah

• About St. Jude Children’s Hospital

 

   ❄️ Have a beautiful holiday season! ❄️

 

Slivers and Snapshots

 

 

As bloggers, we give readers, fellow writers, and online friends what we want to give them. We decide what we write, how we write it, when we publish it. We decide what to share and what to keep private.

Readers know tiny slivers of our experiences, snapshots of our lives.

There are some bloggers who share intimate details, revealing deeply personal events from their lives. That’s great. That is their choice and they are comfortable with it. But this shouldn’t be something we expect of every blogger who doesn’t have a niche.

For a lot of readers, personal blog equals personal information.

If bloggers have a music, movie, fashion, food, or book blog, they are excused. But if they have a “personal” blog, where they talk about life, they are expected to divulge all sorts of information about themselves. Because. Personal.

That’s not how it works.

Even if we have a blog where certain subjects would seem appropriate, it doesn’t mean we’ll necessarily choose to publish them.

 

I mostly write about roses and only occasionally share the thorns.

Know that, even if I talk about my insomnia or getting overwhelmed, I may leave out that Aunt Foofie is in rehab again, I fell off the kitchen counter and fractured my tailbone, or zombies attacked me on my way to work.

 

Do you have a personal blog? How much do you share with your readers? Do you expect other bloggers to reveal personal information?