December is always a crazy busy month for me. Yes, I know. It is for everyone, but I work in retail (B&N) and from about mid-November until after New Year's, I'm worn out. Gone are the days of baking dozens of cookies from scratch or decorating the house from top-to-bottom, not to mention writing the traditional Christmas letter and having my cards in the mail before my birthday. By the end of the day, all I want to do is kick my shoes off, pour myself a glass of wine and either curl up with my current book or veg in front of the tv. The weekends are full of chores and errands (and now shopping and wrapping!!), so there's little time to relax and enjoy the season. I can't imagine how exhausted my co-workers with little babies or small children are feeling this month! Ho ho ho.
In an effort to keep this blog alive through the rest of the month, I thought I'd share my Instagram photos, since I'm obviously not going to get any book reviews posted, as I had hoped I could.
I don't remember where I first learned about the Penguin UK Book-a-Day Challenge, but I'm in and it's been fun (and easy!) to pick a book to feature for each day's theme. Enjoy! {Be sure to watch the Secret Santa video on Penguin's website. Very entertaining!}
Week One:
1. Iconic First Line
2. Last Read
3. On My Christmas List
4. For Chilly Nights
5. Quintessentially British
6. Everyone Should Read
7. Childhood Favourite
This sounds like so much fun! And that video of the Secret Santa is funny! I love the author's reactions as they opened up their gifts.
ReplyDeleteWell, it was fun for the first week and then life got super hectic. I should never try to commit to doing anything in December. I can barely get food on the table and gifts in the mail!
DeleteI'm enjoying your photos on instagram. Working in retail, you definitely deserve that glass of wine and quiet time with a book at the end of the day!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being such a good friend and follower of my blog and Instagram, JoAnn. Hope you have a peaceful New Year's.
DeleteThis is a cool contest that I haven't heard about yet. Thanks for posting about it. Enjoying your photos for it, and as you say, at the end of the day when working retail at Christmas (I did for 16 years) all you want to do is veg and catch your breath.
ReplyDeleteSusan - You Can Never Have too Many Books.
Glad you enjoyed it, Susan. I really had hoped to post a picture for all 31 days, but life got in the way.
DeleteLesley! I love each and every picture, and I'm so glad you took the time to think of each response, photograph it, and post it here to inspire us. I'm participating in Andi's A Month of Favorites for December, but I would surely have love to have done this one. The ideas are fantastic! They give me a picture of what's going on in your life, too.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that things are so busy that you're driven to distraction every Christmas. My job requires holding the lid on the children, to try to contain their enthusiasm, but at least I don't have to deal with their insane parents! I'm recovering from a bit of oral surgery yesterday, at home today, and it's bliss. How is that, being happy when you're sick so you can stay home and bake cookies? :)
My love to you, as always.
Bellezza, have I have told you how much I love your long, chatty comments? I do! I'm glad you enjoyed my pictures and am sorry that I wasn't able to continue past the 7th day. Too much going on in December for me to accomplish any of the extras. I certainly enjoyed all of your "Favorites" for Andi's meme. Such great topics to write about. If only I had more hours in the day...
DeleteI hope your tooth/mouth is feeling much better and that your are able to enjoy your vacation. When does school start back up? Happy, happy 2015! Perhaps this will be the year we finally meet. :)