A reading rainbow

Do you find there's so much on the internet you don't have time to read it all?

Does that lead to you opening a tab for each and then not getting back to them sometimes for a looooong time?

Hey, me, too.

This weekend, I was very, very sick. Today, I am better, but have been taking it easy on the couch. And catching up on the whole internet. And I think part of why I keep those tabs open is that I keep meaning to not only read them, but share them with an appropriate audience.

Hey, appropriate audience.

Seriously, all of these links likely aren't for any of you, but if you can't find something here that interests you, what are you reading?

• Now-defunct Biblical theme park in Connecticut
• House mouse prevention and control
• How My Past As A Black Woman Informs Me As A Black Male Feminist
• Principality of Sealand
• Top 100 Greatest Gay Movies
• Why it's Awesome to be a Nerd
• John Tyler still has two living grandchildren
• 1942 ‘Time Capsule’ Apartment Discovered In Paris
• Perfect Love Casts Out Fear
• Read the "Stomach-Churning" Sexual Assault Accusations Against R. Kelly in Full 
• Stop Hurting America With Unnecessary Teaser Questions 
• So What About The LGBTQ People Who Don't Want To Get Married? 
• The Choice To Be Childfree 
• 9 Out Of 10 Americans Are Completely Wrong About This Mind-Blowing Fact 
• 21 Things '80s Kids' Did That Would Horrify Us Now 
• Cockblocking Rapists Is A Moral Obligation; or, How To Stop Rape Right Now 
• The Top 30 Beauty Secrets from the People Who Know Best
• How Slam-Dunking, Gender-Bending WNBA Rookie Brittney Griner is Changing the world of Sports
• Isolation Cannot Heal Isolation: One Survivors Response to Sexual Assault

OK, so now I read (and closed) all those tabs. What are you reading?

Christmas list

Presented without comment for posterity, a list of the Christmas- or winter holiday-themed things I've viewed over the last couple of weeks, in roughly the order I watched them:

• Rare Exports: A Christmas Story
• Elf
• Cheers: Christmas Cheers
• Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• 30 Rock: Ludachristmas
• My So-Called Life: So-Called Angels
• The Ref
• Friends: The One with the Monkey
• Lady Gaga and the Muppets Holiday Spectacular
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Amends
• Arrested Development: Afternoon Delight
• A Russell Peters Christmas
• The Office: Secret Santa
• The Office: Christmas Wishes
• The Office: Classy Christmas Part 1
• The Office: Classy Christmas Part 2
• The Office: Moroccan Christmas
• The Office: Secret Santa
• The Office: Dwight Christmas
• 30 Rock: Secret Santa
• Last Holiday
• Jingle All the Way
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
• Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Without comment from me, that is. Yet, that is. Any comment from you?

UPDATED TO ADD: 

• Die Hard
• Die Harder

Nothing you can't get somewhere else

OK! Christmas Eve, and apparently Advent was not long enough this year! Still lots to do!

This is the time when I usually could use something funny or sweet or beautiful to remind me there is light in the world — in addition to just, like, stress.

You too?

You've come to the right place. I've been storing up the best of what people have shared with me, and now I share it with you. But enjoy.

• Dog gets 210 water bottles for Christmas
• Funny Nativity
• Slade family Christmas card video
• A ten-month-old's letter to Santa
• 7 overlooked Thanksgiving rituals, according to sociologists
• Actors from Orange is the New Black sing a Christmas medley (wearing, largely, the old black)

What's your favorite? What did I miss?

For those of you celebrating, Merry Christmas, everyone.
For those of you not, I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how obnoxious this whole time of year must be.

Sentence of the day, ecumenical edition

"I can report that nothing, not even the suspect pairing of a Congregationalist and a prayer book, was capable of keeping us from successfully worshipping Christ together." — Rev. Emily C. Heath

Sentence of the day, J.M. Barrie edition

"I am not your Wendy."

Sentence of the day, post-Krampusnacht pre-Solstice edition

"Point is, you have way more excuses to be a morris dancer than most people, including most morris dancers."
-Mike

Got a light?

Every year, it seems like I have a hard time wrapping up the month of gratitude on time. December comes too fast. This year, it seemed to come faster.

This year, the beginning of Advent came with the beginning of December — Advent calendars would have you think that's how it always is, but it's only about every seven years, and seems rarer than that.

I keep feeling like I should have been better prepared for Advent this year — should have had an advent wreath together, or an advent calendar, or something.

December's also a dark month here. Last week, I finally remembered to eat lunch because it was starting to get dusky — around 3:30. Twice.

We fill the month with twinkly lights and candles — for Advent, for Hanukkah, for solstice, for Kwanzaa, for St. Lucy's Day, for Christmas. Advent is time to get ready for Christmas. Solstice brings increasingly brighter days — eventually. The first Sunday of advent, I lit candles with old friends while I shared a meal, chased with hot chocolate and laughter. Tonight, the second Sunday of Advent, I am watching the creepy Finnish Santa movie Rare Exports followed by the amazing Elf, with Chinese food and peanut butter cookies, with people who I care about and who respect these gatherings as ritual.

But it is dark, dark, dark up here, sometimes in more ways than one, and it's really important to make a point of finding that light where we can, and sharing it whenever possible, I think.

A belated day 30 of our month of gratitude: I am thankful for literal and metaphoric light in the darkness, and for the people that shine both with me.

Getting lucky

OK, as usual, I am a little behind in wrapping up the gratitude. I'll get to it.

But sometimes, you need to point some obvious things out to the world.

A pot luck, by definition, should involve some element of luck.

People show up and bring food.

If you're worried no one will bring food you like or can eat, you bring food you yourself like and can eat.

If the lack of a signup sheet means everyone coincidentally brings dessert? OH WELL.

At the last pot luck I had, almost everyone coincidentally brought alcohol instead of food of any kind. OH WELL.

I have slightly more sympathy for people who try to mitigate the all-dessert possibility by assigning broad categories, but only slightly. And specific sign-up sheets, where you have to declare exactly what you will bring more than a week in advance, are for people who can't handle actual pot lucks. Those people would do better to not have them. That's what caterers are for.

Or, you could face your fears and take the plunge.

It's just one meal. Maybe something exciting will happen.

Discuss. I know some of you do this. Why?