Sister, Sisters

Last night Mr. E finally got home from his epic trip to San Francisco. It was nice to have him back. We were sitting around doing nothing, as we are wont to do, when he divulged the shocking fact that he had never seen White Christmas before. How he has lived all these years without seeing THE BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVER I am not sure, but I rectified that fact last night. Damn, I love that movie. When Bing Crosby and his partner who's name I can't remember do the Sisters dance with the blue feathered fans and the little sparkly stars on their forehead I started grinning maniacally and I felt happier than I have in months. I think I love that movie only slightly less than my mom does (who got her netflix copy on the SAME DAY I got mine) and my sister, who used to reenact the sisters dance with me. It made me miss them, in a sad but good way. I also love that it takes place in Vermont, at least in theory, because it reminds me of my grandmother, the number one Vermont lover of all time. Seriously, she once brought a Vermont puzzle to Christmas at our house. Shots out to Andrew for helping her put it together! It's cool how watching one movie can make me think of three generations of women in my family, all at the same time.

In other news, I am almost done with my Christmas shopping, which has stretched on beyond the bounds of all reasonableness, considering I got started in October! Whew! Here's my Christmas list, which I am posting here to reassure myself that I did indeed get enough presents for everyone, and that I need to quit FREAKING out about it. God.

Mom - penguin whisk broom for her whisk broom collection, I can't believe I even just typed that, socks from Mr. E (annual Xmas tradition), orange pashmina finally arrived today from Hong Kong and nessitated much too much post office line waiting to retrieve, star candlesticks (annual traditional holiday gift #2), excellent book I have been telling her about, she has been asking me about, and then forgetting about until she asks me about it again, about living in Nebraska, called The Quality of Life Report. I hope it makes her realize how much it sucks here so she can shut up about how I should shut up about living in Nebraska. And a dirty apron from Italy, which is a total regift.

Peter - metroplane graters, which are so awesome anyone would love them, a matching dirty apron, and a book about baseball.

Whitney - ungrateful non present giving shit, is getting William Shatner's new CD, and the DVD of "spock's brain" . He was getting vintage cuff links until he pissed me off, and anyway they haven't come yet, so even if I wanted to give them to him I couldn't.

My cousin Jessica - secret present as she may be reading this.

I got Mr. E's sister in the name drawing this year - she's getting a Coach mini skinny, color black, which I think would be very useful for the many many bars she goes to, as she just turned 21, and she's also getting a purse I made her, very nice I must say, and a framed pic that I am giving all the girls and Mr. E's mom, of the four of us ladies.

Mr E.'s sister in law is the other person we got in the name thing, and even though Mr. E got her name, he didn't do anything to help acquire this gift. I'm just saying. Anyway, she's getting a purse I made, which I am nervous about as I am not sure I get her taste, but I thought it was cute and the colors all matched, and an Ann Taylor leather jewelry box, and the picture, framed. I am bitter about her because there was an awesome cashmere wrap on sale at Ann Taylor in HER color, on sale for CHEAP, did I mention it was on sale? I was eyeing it as perfect for her, but didn't buy it in case we didn't draw her name, and of course it sold out the day before we drew her name. next time I will insist on buying such items, and then I will not draw the persons name, and i will have a nice cashmere wrap for myself.

Other cousin - banana republic purse

Other cousin who no one could figure out what to get - my idiot brother ordered her a remote controlled blimp. I had nothing to do with it. Note that it was $70 dollars and I didn't even care because it meant I would not have to go out and figure out what to buy her. It was also pretty awesome when I got an email from her mom asking if I knew anything about a remote controlled flying balloon her daughter had gotten in the mail.

My lovely sistah - Romance perfume (romance as a vague idea of all that is beauteous and wonderful in the world is one of her her all time favorite concepts. She once described her favorite car "a red toyota pickup" as "vewy womantic". And the first three books in the Unfortunate Events series. As it is just now a movie, she will almost certainly read the books.

Friends S & M - white fiesta ware pitcher which S has wanted for a long time as it reminds her of my mom, whom she regards as the ultimate authority in almost everything, apparently, including white pitchers, and a little self esteem kit I made for S, including some compliment stones, the idea of which I ripped off from the Red Envelope catalog and which I have not made yet, a tampon case, for discreetly taking tampons from ones purse into the office bathroom, and which is boy knowing what you are doing proof, according to mr e, and a string bikini top, as her list of "101 in 1001" includes lying on the beach in a string bikini. All in little bags or cases made by me, I should get some pics.

Mr. E's parents - we all chipped in to get his dad netflix for a year and to get his mom the Tiffany's eternal circle that all the girls have.

Mr. E - this was difficult. Because we have no money and because we were going to get mini IPOD's for each other, so I hadn't done any work on his presents, and because his bday is four days later so I have to get him bday AND xmas presents. Remind me NOT to have my own kids be born in the last two weeks of December! Then we decided that we could not afford to shell out $500 for mini IPOD's, and I also heard that the free IPOD thing, while a pain in the ass for which you need to know five people, is supposedly not a scam, so I might try to do that later this year. Anyway, the point is that now I am stressed out about his gifts, and think that this might not be enough stuff, but as I feel that way about everyone, I am sure to be found running around buying shitloads of crap no one wants at the mall every night this week. Regardless, Mr. E is getting the Nirvana box set, some random CD I found that I think he'll like, a black leather kenneth cole messenger bag so he doesn't have to bring his scrappy nylon one from the GAP to any interviews, and a stainless steel fossil watch which I love as I find them HOT on guys but which he may very well hate, and a navy blue wool sweater from J Crew, although now that i think about it I have never gotten any kind of confirmation from them and i don't recall being charged for it, so I'm not so sure about that one.

I also plan to engineer a necklace, a scarf, and some undies being purchased for me tonight at the mall, so I thought it was only fair to include those on the list of presents.

E