I don’t have a ton of info on Robert Burns, but I do know that he wrote Auld Lang Syne (probably just the words, not the music), and that’s quite a legacy. Just about everybody recognizes the song when it’s played or sung on New Year’s Eve. I suppose it’s appropriate to sing it on Burns Night, too, so there you have one of your activities all set for you.

Of course you’ll eat, too, but the traditional food served on Burns night might give you pause. I understand haggis is a staple of the Burns Night meal, and I have it on good authority (Rhonda Nelson) that it may not be what you want to consume. There’s innards involved, if you get my drift. But if you cast around, you might find some Scottish dishes that appeal to you.

And if you don’t, then just drink. Whiskey is always appropriate on Burns Night. In fact, I’ll bet you can even find a T-shirt that says “Tonight I drink for Scotland” on it and then you’ll truly be in the spirit of the occasion. Or you can decide to go for the haggis, after all. Maybe it’s not so bad if you drink enough whiskey with it. Personally, after finding out what it’s made from, I’m not eager.

So how about it? Are you up for Burns Night? Maybe even haggis? Speaking of that, what was the most disgusting thing you ever ate in your life?

On this Christmas Day at my house, following a long family tradition that goes back at least three generations, presents will be opened this morning. It’s The Rule. The tree gets decorated on Christmas Eve, and then, only then, can the gifts be arranged beneath it. Not a single one can be touched until the next morning when the fire is lit and the Christmas music is playing.

Yeah, I love it like that. I’m a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas, and I’m allowed to be, which makes me very lucky. I think about all those who have similar traditions handed down from generation to generation and who treasure those rituals as much as I treasure mine. But they’re employed as a nurse, or a firefighter, or a cop, or a soldier on patrol.

So as I watch my daughter unwrap the special present I found for her months ago and snap a picture of her happy smile, I bless those who are hard at work during the holidays. As I sip cocoa by the fire and gaze at the sparkling tree, I’m aware that the moment is made possible by all those who aren’t celebrating Christmas this morning or couldn’t enjoy Christmas Eve with family because they’re busy tending to the jobs that must be done, no matter what day it is.

From the bottom of my heart, thank you. Whenever and wherever you’re finally able to enjoy the holiday, have a very Merry Christmas!

Black Friday warriors, I salute you!  You probably don’t have time to read this blog today, or if you have time, you may be too exhausted from your midnight-to-four a.m. shopalooza to lift your weary fingers to the keyboard.  I hope you got bargains that make your heart sing and your budget stretch like Spanx. 

     Alas, I don’t have your talent for hunting the wily shopping bargain.  I suck at it, in fact.  I can’t even manage coupons correctly, let alone a major bargain smack-down like Black Friday.

Whenever I get a coupon, I stick it on my bulletin board and forget it’s there until I arrive at the store coupon-less.  Or, on the rare occasions I actually carry a coupon to the store, I whip it out only to discover it expired yesterday.

I’ve concluded that bargains belong to the well-organized, and I’m . . . not.  A friend told me she’d already mapped out her shopping route for Black Friday.  The entire concept of a shopping route eludes me.  I can only run one errand at a time.  Seriously.

The only way I manage to get a bargain is by total accident.  I scoop up a couple of items I love, take them to the checkout counter totally prepared to pay the sticker price, and the clerk informs me they’re discounted.  Somehow the bargain fairy has taken pity on my miserable self and touched me with her magic wand.  But trust me, if I’d tried to accomplish that discount thing, it wouldn’t be happening.

So happy bargain hunting, everyone!  And while you’re at it, I hope you snatch a few holiday Blaze books from the shelves, because you so deserve a break later.  If it wouldn’t be too forward, I’ll mention MERRY CHRISTMAS, BABY, a December anthology featuring moi, Jennifer LaBrecque, and Rhonda Nelson.  Gift yourself.

If you have managed to stumble to the computer so you can read this blog, what did you get?  If I can’t find my own bargains, I can live vicariously by listening to your shopping triumphs, so do tell!