Thank you to all who participated in the giveaways. I loved the comments, and am so appreciative of everyone who reads this blog, including the lurkers!

The link potluck was fabulous. People brought so many shiny internet objects, I have to post them here.

Enjoy and happy holidays. I’m getting up at 3:30am tomorrow (Christmas Eve) so I can heave myself onto a plane bound for the east coast. I’m happily packing, making lists, and trying to decide between the body scan or search! I love you and see you in the new year. Now, on to the links.

Ellen submitted this picture of friends wearing fugly fugly holiday vests (I have anonymized their faces to hide their shame):

I have to share Carol‘s comment. I hear what she’s saying:

Well my link shows how I am feeling about this time of year. Having a child with a birthday on the 20th of December doesn’t help with the mayhem, along with the stress of thinking that I can throw an awesome Christmas Eve Open House. Upon realizing that people are depending on your event for their Christmas Eve only adds to the stress. Let’s talk deviled eggs shall we? If you make them too soon, they become nasty and dry. If you wait until party day your house then smells like sulfur coupled with the toe jam of a Haitian long distance runner all evening. Result, no deviled eggs on my buffet. I feel like this.

Thanks, Carol! I love this Ugly Christmas Lights site.

Nancy brings our attention to this awesome video about Portland, which is on my short list of places I’d like to live. “In Portland, you can just put a bird on something and call it art!”

[direct link]

Amanda brings us festive, mood-inducing music by Joel Rakes! Free holiday music? Yes please! Tell your friends and donate to his cause, even!

Sandy from Singapore (I have a reader in Singapore! preen preen) de-lurked to offer up this crafty how-to on making Tropical Angels. I love the fact she writes this sentence: “An advance apology to anyone squirmish about using awls on angels”:

Heather M. M. brings back memories with this one — “Do They Know It’s Christmas” from the particularly.. vintage year of 1984.

[direct link]
My friend Sam helpfully pointed out, after I posted the link to Facebook: “actually, thanks to climate change, there IS snow in Africa this Christmastime.” Heartwarming sentiment, Shaw!

Last but definitely not least, Jeff brings us Chloe’s Resolutions. Watch it, just watch.

[direct link]

“Eat more foods wrapped in cracklin’ pork skin!”