Poll-i-day Christmas Blog, Day One!

Longtime readers of this blog may already know how I feel about Christmas. For anyone who's still in the dark, let me make it clear: I LOVE CHRISTMAS. I love gingerbread, wreaths, egg nog, twinkle lights, fireplaces, the pre-Jim Carrey Grinch, holly, and cats/dogs/bunnies wearing Santa hats. Every day, for the month of December, I'll be posting holiday projects, photos, craft tutorials, stories, recipes, and the most wonderfully unsettling old-timey-videos I can find.

I'll also address how to celebrate fully while on a serious budget, including making your own gifts, buying handmade, making your house smell great even if it's too tiny to hold a fresh tree, and dealing with the always unexpected but ever-present holiday stress.

Amazingly, the Poll-i-day Christmas Blog already has a spinoff! Beloved friend Squidhelmet needs your vote so that the world will finally, officially know The Worst Rendition of Baby, It's Cold Outside.

The photo above is from my old lobby when I lived in the Rena Villa during the Christmas of 2004. Helen, my elderly, chain-smoking landlady, reigns supreme as the most Christmas-obsessed person I've ever encountered. There was a special secret storage room in the building filled to the brim with decorations, which she tirelessly used to create a kitsch wonderland.

I once stumbled home drunk at 3 AM, and upon shoving my key in the front door, discovered Helen, a cigarette hanging from her lip, stringing twinkle lights around each staircase post. This level of dedication is something I'll be striving for in the weeks to come.