Happy Post Thanksgiving! We have arrived back from the frozen tundra of Cleveland to mild weather here in New York.

A holiday tradition of mine as a youth was to go to Litehouse Pools with my mom--which sold pools in the summer, but became a Christmas tree and decoration store in the fall--and pick out a new ornament for the Christmas tree. Since we were at my folks, I decided to continue the tradition with Cookie and Mojo. Mojo declined the invitation and stayed with my dad and John. Cookie gleefully came along. I told him since Mojo declined attending I would allow him to pick out an ornament for Mojo. Cookie also decided to pick out an ornament for John. I'm always fascinated at what will be chosen (although this was the first time at Lighthouse pools, I've let them pick out ornaments before). Cookie chose for himself this folksy looking quilted heart snowman thing. Not at all what I expected, but he did later see a school bus that he loved and my mom got it for him so he could keep snowman too. For Mojo he got this giant decorated jingle bell that actually made noise. We had just watched Polar Express again so maybe that's why or maybe he knew Mojo would like the amount of noise that could be made with it. My favorite pick of Cookie's was for John. He found a glass ornament in the shape of a bottle of Chianti--explaining to me that Daddy likes to drink wine. I don't think Cookie recognized the Italian flag colors or the Salute written on it. It will be hung proudly on the tree.

When I was at home this Thanksgiving, my mom and I went to the mall the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It didnt seem to horrendous until I went and waited in line to purchase one item. I was fooled into thinking it wouldnt take long because there was only THREE people ahead of me. Little did I know I had descended into Dante's circle of consumer hell. The first woman apparently had purchased the greater part of the department and desired to have it all bagged separately. The woman in front of me started to practically hyper-ventilate because her $ 10.00 coupon was about to expire at 1:00 and she had to get back from her lunch break. Luckily the woman ahead of her allowed her to jump ahead so paramedics werent necessary. Then the final woman in front of me is up and dont you know she has some kind of coupon dilemma that requires the saleswoman to ring up the order six times then have to call a manager because the customer is upset because she is unable to purchase the mechandise for well below cost. The manager says it can't be done so the woman after about 15 minutes buys none of the items and takes it upstairs to a different register. The whole time this is happening these two insane coupon clipping women behind me are holding out fistfuls of coupons and trading them back and forth. The one woman says that she had already gone to the gas station and bought six newspapers to amass the great store of coupons she had and was gonna go back to the gas station and get a few more. It was a surreal experience which reminded me of why I shopped online whenever possible.