Happy everything to everyone!

[gement]

For Solstice this year I bought myself new living room lamps. (The old ones were, to a one, mismatched and had worn out in some way. Only two of them lit up at all.) Despite some maddening hilarity involving finding the correct size of light bulbs, this is much better.

I was feeling awfully grinchy until yesterday. Not even grouchy about holidays, just completely disconnected. Combined with a vague sense of guilt over not having done organized present buying for the last N years, I was just feeling... blah. I was telling myself that planning on spending my days off in some calm contemplative junk purging just meant that I was becoming a well-adjusted adult. Buying long underwear for myself instead of presents for other people was being practical and bucking consumerist social expectations.

Well, screw that. Yesterday one of my near and dear asked where I was spending Christmas, was surprised I wasn't spending it with J (who always goes and sees his family in a hated obligation and comes home exhausted), and invited me over.

I realized I hadn't done a Christmas with Christmas morning in years. Screw ideology, I want my party.

I also donated a sizeable chunk to the local food bank and a free health clinic that's treated me well, and bragged on it to people in lieu of gifts.

Today I am celebrating my day off and Christmas Eve and etc. by walking the zoo with my friend spaced.

I still have hit some peak of adulthood, though. J and I both asked for, and got each other, socks. Seriously. Socks. Some of my new socks are argyle knee socks, just like my mom wore at my age over twenty years ago, and they delight me.

Mind you, another pair is Big Gay Doctor Who Scarf socks, made of puffy wool through a fair trade group. Rainbow stripes in the Scarf color palette. J is good to me. I squeed.

I am also very grateful to others who have given me music and geek shinies. Thank you, my friends.

Happy everything, everyone. For those who have had a hard 2009, may next year be better.

Comments

[tylik.livejournal.com]

It's been a pretty excellent day so far over here, too.

Secret message: I usually buy my whole grains from the bulk sections of co-op type places - PCC and Madison market both do really well.

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Happy Everything to you too! My boy got me socks 'cause my feet get cold.

[stolen-tea.livejournal.com]

I hit the sock point a couple of years ago. It stood out as a landmark to me, too. :)

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Socks have been among my favorite presents for years! I probably hit that point at age 17 or so, though, when socks became my primary fashion statement.

[beaq.livejournal.com]

Which, sadly, they no longer are. Now black and/or fluffy socks are the gifts ne plus ultra.

[hesperide.livejournal.com]

...any possibility of seeing you for a moment before school starts on 4 January?

[annissamazing]

Socks. :)

Socks are one of those things I really wish I was more interested in. I see fun socks on other people and I think, "I want fun socks!" But I can't seem to get over something my father made sure was ingrained in me. Socks must be bought by the dozen. Which generally means buying them in a 12 pack. So most of my socks are plain white.

However, he also taught me that underwear should be bought by the dozen and I'm slowly overcoming that. I still buy them 12 at a time, but I buy them separately at boutiques when they're on sale.

So there's hope for my footwear after all.

[gement.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I have that one. This was a reach for me. It helped when Mom gave me a pack of brightly colored striped socks, five pairs that matched in texture and size and pattern, but all different colors. So I deliberately always wear mismatched pairs of them.

Now, because of that, I'm willing to get, say, a three-pack of knee socks in different patterns, because they'll "match" each other by my standards.

In my heart, I still hold out to get a huge pile of matching socks. I just can't find huge packs of black knee socks, which are what I really want and need. Instead I've slowly up a pile of wacky socks as my Costco pack of half-length black socks slowly bites the dust.

If you spot black knee socks for a reasonable price anywhere, let me know. I bought half a dozen at Wal-Mart a while ago, but I want the giant pack of doooom.

[annissamazing]

What size do you wear? I'll keep an eye out. Also, do you care if they're men's socks? I noticed on Amazon that they sell 3-packs of men's black knee-high socks, but not women's black knee-high socks. As far as I can tell, the only difference is a gold toe.

I'm also inspired to switch to knee socks. Especially since we're expecting 4" of snow today and I am chilled to the core.

[gement.livejournal.com]

Size 9-10 Women's shoes (about size 8 in Men's). I really don't care if they're men's socks as long as they don't have gigantic soles that ride up my heel. :) I'll look on Amazon, thanks.