It's Christas Day!

My wish for you is that no matter where you are, who you are with or without, that you are going to do what makes you happy! Because the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter where you or who who you are with or without... the main thing is that you are Happy!

And since true Happiness comes from within.. well that shouldn't be too difficult for you, right?

I didn't put up an holiday decorations inside my house this year. I instead decided to put up the giant 3 xmas ornaments outside and the huge lime green glittered bow on the front door. Here's a picture of it.

Ciao

Christmas

I usually get the Christmas holiday feeling around August. I know it sounds weird but there is a very good reason.

In my early 20's my best friend, Judy, and I would do our Christmas shopping around September. Both of us hate the idea of being in a retail store in the month of December. In New Orleans the weather can be cold and rainy during the holiday time. Combined with rude, anxious people to hoot. So she and I would get together year after year and do our holiday shopping.

Judy went to Texas and I went to California. However, hating the holiday season rush hasn't changed. Some years I get it done by September 1st. Some years I slip and don't get it done until October 1st. Since 90% of what I give needs to be mailed, I just wrap it, box it up and stick the boxes by the front door with a post-it on when it needs to be mailed.

Then the holiday season shows up and I can cozy up on the couch with a good book, bake cookies or whatever and I don't have to go out and fight the retail madness.

I am happy to report that this year's gift giving is all done, wrapped and sitting at the door ready to be mailed.

Ciao

Just a Few Differences in PA and CA

First, I would like to thank my friends who took the time to comment on my last post "Waves of Christmas". The comments were very interesting and insightful.

There are differences that most might not notice... however, I do.

For example, it takes longer to go in somewhere and get something done, especially if you have to talk to someone. Everyone here has the time to talk to you.

Yesterday, I had to go to the bulk mailing part of the post office and get information on a bulk mailing permit because I send out 1,700 newsletters every quarter for my business. There were two girls working and they asked me why I was mailing my newsletter "first class". I told them that's what I was told my only option was. They opened up my 4 page newsletter and said "You don't have any advertising in it so you can send it parcel post, which will only take about 2 days longer. Do you have any time sensitive information in your newsletter?" My response was, "No." Bottom line I will be saving about $500 a quarter when I mail my newsletters because these girls took the time to show me a better way. It never happened in LA. People rarely take the time like these 2 girls did.

I have a t-shirt that has an advertisement for a "Lost Kitty". It's pretty funny. I have had it for about 10 years and worn it a ton of times. Every time I wear it here people stop me to read my t-shirt. I can be at the grocery store looking at the produce and the person next to me will say "Let me read your shirt. Oh, that's so cute." Like 4 times in one day I will be asked if someone can read my t-shirt. I think in the 10 years that I have had the t-shirt only one stranger in Los Angeles has asked to read my t-shirt. Just different I tell you....just different.

Hey yesterday I got my PA drivers license!!!! Yeaaayyyyy.

I heard the news yesterday that July 1st, the sales tax in Los Angeles will go up again this year... to 9.75%. Like Wow.... just a few months ago it went up to 9.25%. Sales tax is paid on everything in Los Angeles. You do not pay sales tax in Pennsylvania on anything considered a necessity such as food and clothing! Like Wow, what a savings that is!

My sister took this picture of me at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles on her last trip.

Ciao

Waves of Christmas

So like this really super weird thing began happening to me my last week in Los Angeles when my guy and I were busy packing up my things.

I would get these "waves of Christmas".... which I can only describe as being something like "waves of nausea". The "waves" part was the same... but "Christmas and Nausea" are obviously two different feelings.

They were good "waves of Christmas". The weird thing is that I wasn't packing anything remotely connected to Christmas and I don't have any great good feelings of Christmas stored up in my data bank of experiences. In facts, last year, I took a 3 week trip to the other side of the planet (New Zealand and Australia) to purposefully avoid the month of December and everything that went along with it.

These waves happened about 6 or 8 times each day. We would be packing and I would tell my special guy "I just had one of those waves of Christmas". Something may have flashed super fast in my mind or not (not really sure).... it was more like this feeling that would run through me. It was warm, fuzzy, loving... everything good in one wave. I wasn't thinking about Christmas before or after the "wave" thingy happened.

During our drive to Pennsylvania the "Waves of Christmas" only happened a few times.

Since I have been here I have only experienced the "Waves of Christmas" about once or twice.

It's super weird and have no idea what it means or why it is happening.

Ciao