Girl Scouts Go Caroling

it's an annual holdiay tradition, caroling businesses around the Mercer square...

gifts....

at Wal-Mart yesterday, bought gifts for School Nurse Mary, Katie's teacher Mrs Holt, for Stephanie The Dance Teacher, & 4-H gift for Nicole. still have classroom gift left...

rec'd first Xmas card

from Kevin's brother David, his girlfriend Melissa, & their combined kids yesterday December 4th.

christmas cards

are in the mail...(I think!)
front porch is decorated.
katie decorated the tree and the house.

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

I put up the tree last nite & Katie decorated it & the house, using freebie Leanin' Tree Xmas cards & leftover Xmas cards I found in bottom desk drawer, had enough for all but 6 (so far) of my Xmas cards, sending out the ones I got done today. Sadly, I had enough cards, but not enough envelopes....funny how that works out.

we wish you a merry xmas...

"Xmas" is frowned upon in modern guides for writing styles. Style guides at the New York Times, The Times, The Guardian and the BBC all rule out its use, where possible. Millicent Fenwick, in the 1948 Vogue's Book of Etiquette states that "'Xmas' should never be used" in greeting cards.

The Cambridge Guide to Australian English Usage states that the spelling should be considered informal and restricted to contexts where concision is valued, such as headlines and greeting cards.

The Christian Writer's Manual of Style, while acknowledging the ancient and respectful use of "Xmas" in the past, states that the spelling should never be used in formal writing.


Today, with knowledge of classical languages being less widespread than formerly, some erroneously believe that the term Xmas is part of an effort to "take Christ out of Christmas" or to literally "cross out Christ"; it is seen as evidence of the secularization of Christmas, as a symptom of the commercialization of the holiday (as the abbreviation has long been used by retailers).

In the United Kingdom, The former Church of England Bishop of Blackburn, Alan Chesters, once recommended to his clergy that they avoid the spelling.

so, although I was recently shouted out in capital letters on facebook for using Xmas instead of Christmas...I still prefer xmas. I just do. and I think that's ok. Santa Claus will still come visit me...

Christmas Extravaganze

got Katie's dance recital jammies ordered from American Girl last nite (finally!)
recital is Dec. 5th...which is only weeks away!