Festive Dos

Not being much of a shopper, I lucked into a nice Little Black Dress a while back - roughly 900 years back, in fashion time. The V-neck has a slight ruffle; the skirt has an extra skim of sheer material. I've worn it about a million times. it is my one and only go-to party frock. You may be more daring, or at least less boring, so here's a site chockablock with fashion advice for the Season.

(Image: littleblackdress.magzine.com)

Vintage Christmas

Christmas rituals carmelize in childhood - this would explain why I have such a hankering for a pink artificial tree, circa the '70s. One person's travesty is another's tradition I guess. Perhaps this vintage card (image: typed.com.) is something we can all consider fairly tasteful.

City of Christmas Lights

Paris being the City of Lights (they actually have a team of people who work fulltime designing and illuminating various Paris landmarks, which must be in the Top 10 coolest jobs ever) so a Paris of the Christmas Lights must be spectacular. Try these tips if you'd like to bring a little je ne sais quoi into the season.

(Image: expat-blog.com.)

Christmas Dos 'n Don'ts

There are lots of etiquette lists out there - do be polite, don't tank up on rum and eggnog and decide to tell your boss exactly what you think of him or her - but here's something you definitely shouldn't try.

(Image: imagebuilders.com.)

Walking in the Air

Here's a gorgeous piece of music, beautifully attuned to the season without being a traditional carol. And, unlike Bad Santa (which I still stand by as an appropriate and even necessary film under very specific conditions), this clip, and the film as a whole, is a classic for all.

(Image: allelectricproductions.)

Christmas Carols: some love 'em, some wish they would -

...while some people really love Christmas carols, I mean they truly really do, others find a seemingly endless loop of "Frosty" and "Silver Bells" intercut with "Blue Christmas" is enough to, well, get them in a sadly un-Christmasy frame of mind. And the thing about feeling this way is it's a social gaffe, and practically against the law, to admit that you're less then Ho-Ho-Happy this time of year. If you are feeling a bit stressed, or even just a bit blah, here's a great advice column (this runs at salon.com and is usually quite excellent).

(Image: from blogspot, a still from Bad Santa. If you're in the mood for it, it's a classic.)

NQs Delivered

We've just finished our retail run, dropping off packages of magazines all over town - Afterwords Bookstore, Auntie Crae's (the last issue sold out there!), Sweet Relic, The Rooms. It's a two-person job, with Circulation Manager Linda Jackman at the wheel, and myself hopping over snowbanks and running in and out of stores. Kind of like a series of stick-ups, only in reverse as we leave stuff.

(Image: blogspot.com.)