2011 was a tremendously difficult year for many around the world & right here in Giulia's world, too. Here's to a much better one for all. Thank you so much for visiting us every day or every week. It means so much. xoxo 
As usual on New Year's Eve Day, GG's editor is running late, running out & running last-minute errands. And Giulia is asleep, though quite sparkly. Back tonight! (Happy New Year to our Antipodean amis!)
Can you tell a joke & tell it well? Do you have good timing? Do you know the difference between a joke & a funny story? We're no slouch, really, but GG's editor almost always fluffs the punchline. We're on a mission to change that embarrassing state of affairs in 2012. First up, some basics from Toastmasters International. Then you can move on to Prairie Home Companion's Pretty Good Jokes. (You can find jokes for almost any audience there. We love all sorts but we don't tell really dirty ones.)
Alert: GG's editor spotted a first crop of primroses today at the local market. A few dollars for a flowering plant that will keep giving for weeks (if cared for properly) is a must-do. During the day, make sure it gets some light; in early evening, put it where you'll see it regularly. Instant cheer. 
There's an Irish coffee in our Friday future. If only we'd thought to replace the Jameson's sooner rather than later it could be our Wednesday treat. Mimph. 
Love love love The Guardian's How to Draw series. The last one this year features the hilarious dragon Cedric as created by talented Emily Gravett. Her website is terrific & you can watch her draw Cedric or play a game or learn about her other books. 
The 112th Christmas Bird Count organized by The Audubon Society is on through 5 Jan 2012. It's a good way to get everyone outside & walking off those holiday calories. If you can't participate in a nearby count or it's already been done, catch up with Science Friday & listen to the particulars. And get ready for the next Great Backyard Bird Count scheduled for February 17-20, 2012.
One of the great pleasures of the week between Christmas & New Year's is stealing some extra reading time. It's to be quite rainy here tomorrow. Perfect reading weather. GG's editor is busy reading a manuscript, a book-to-be (it's good!). 
Giulia opened a present without permission thereby reassuring her editor that the house feline is feeling good. Carry on. We'll be back tonight (North American time). Halloo friends in Australia, New Zealand, & Asia. Merry Christmas! ciao-meow/GGCM
A reminder to anyone child-wrangling today & tomorrow. Check out this fun Santa Tracker. To complete your digital holiday needs: if you're on Twitter follow the Santa Tracker feed. Also for leetle ones: free coloring pages & some art projects from the archives. The Washington Post's KidsPost is fun wherever you live. 
Head's up, readers: a free website with a new children's story each day. Back to our holiday prep & re-prep: Giulia has just opened two packages. Not hers, either. Oof.
merry ciao-meow
(illustration via the Children's Room via Pinterest)
...and give some of your time or hard-earned cash to any of the worthy causes in GG's right side-bar titled Who, What, Where, When, Why To Help. That's really what we want for Christmas. (Well, that, & better health for the little redheaded feline.) Also random acts of kindness are super fun & calorie-free:) Happy first night of Hanukkah to everyone who celebrates! 
We were out today doing some errands. Everywhere we went, people were worrying aloud about Christmas preparations. It made us nervous, too. People: calm down!
How can it be the 18th of December already? Oh dear. To cheer everyone up, here is our very favorite reindeer. We're working our way through this 'brass reindeer' search on Etsy. Clearly, things like that are why we're so behind in holiday prep. Back tomorrow. Update - We'll be back tonight (Monday)
At double the price of regular eggs, it's not quite "every day" but for a lunch or supper or a poached egg for breakfast a few times a month, (really) fresh eggs are lovely. The point of everyday luxury is to make GG's editor look at ingredients/food in a different way. 
An alert to all ballet lovers, whether in the States, Europe, or Australia. The New York City Ballet's Nutcracker played live to audiences in movie theatres across America on Tuesday. (Here's the New York Times review.) The Bolshoi's Nutcracker is showing near us in the Washington, DC-area on Friday afternoon.* 
There aren't enough toys being dropped off at Toys for Tots locations to ensure that all children will have a toy--one toy--on Christmas. The news overflows with stories about the uptick in spending this holiday season. We sure hope that this means that toy collection charities will have overflowing donation bins by the weekend; somehow, we're not that optimistic. In some areas, the request for toys is up a whopping 25%.
That is: beagle eye candy. This is a pointillist art work by Canadian Joel Brochu. He based it on an image of a beagle by Shingo Uchiyama, a Japanese photographer. (We can absolutely understand why Joel chose this great photograph, appropriately titled 'Be Patient.') This time of year, we have beagle cravings, probably stemming from our Snoopy love. If you're on Twitter, you should follow him. Even GG loves Snoopy. Read the full scoop here; thanks to Hazel at The Clever Pup for posting it on Facebook. 
Hanukkah begins in just (slightly) over six days. Even if you do not celebrate the Festival of Lights, you probably know those who do. Wouldn't it be nice if you made something for their holiday? Imagine their surprise (& delight) when you offer them something you made, whether it's a quick card, a dreidel, a yummy edible, or a something slightly more elaborate. That could be your holiday gift to them. If you know they don't have a menorah that they really like, why not look here & see if one of these less-conventional designs might be something they'd like.
...of the computer kind. We're under-the-weather & also trying to troubleshoot Spotify, the music service. It downloads but then does zip. This is causing all manner of upset here. (Well, Giulia is not bothered one bit, of course. She likes the Christmas music/Beatles iTunes playlist currently in rotation. But her editor will not rest until she has more more more & can tell everyone about it.)
Forget all the hideous candied fruit you've had in the past. You didn't make it, now you will. A lovely way to incorporate the traditional Christmas orange into your holiday is to make orangettes & candy barks that use orange peel. If you'd prefer to bake, we can vouch for this clementine cake. (Any of these would make a lovely gift.)
People, it is wild here lately. Giulia is up to all sorts of nonsense; this is a huge relief because she's been ill for a week. Signs of feeling better? She's eating breakfast + dinner + snacks + getting into trouble. 
FEED Projects is a big favorite of ours. They've added many lovely products, including a holiday stocking (it's out-of-stock at the moment, but sign up for the re-stock notice), with a wide range of prices. You can even custom design a bag with your organization or company on one side & FEED Projects on the other. Visit the website & be inspired!
Do you know about Brain Pickings? We highly recommend you subscribe to "interestingness curator" Maria Popova's daily feed or her weekly newsletter (delivered on Sundays) or follow her on Twitter. 
This is another popular search on GG. You can download any number of the more than 100 translations of the famous card by John & Yoko, here, on flickr. There is also a request from the administrators to help with translations & a big thank you for those who have helped so far. Check it out if you see something that needs attention. 
Take a break from shopping madness to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Breakfast at Tiffany's; it's available on Netflix Instant (here in the States). We're under-the-weather here (both editor & redheaded cat) but we hope to pick up the posting rate soon. Cheers!
It's a been a terribly busy day but we're excited to think about putting up a tree. Last night we watched the Rockefeller Center tree lighting on television. While GG's editor was tweeting, suddenly a new follower. Guess who? The Rockefeller Tree is one cheeky tweeter!