Hoodie Hoo! A Prize in hopes of spring.

Hoodie Hoo is a new, made up holiday that encapsulates most people’s desire for winter to end and spring to come! (Click the Hoodie Hoo link if you want to find out a little more.) It arrives February 20 in the Northern Hemisphere, 30 days before the first day of spring. Is it Hoo Doo? Well, only if you think it works. It’s probably just a great way to blow off pent-up frustration at frigid temperatures, slush, icy roads, and brown snow banks. It can make you feel better emotionally.

My birthday comes amid the Hoodiest low point of February, and I’ve always felt its sting. This time of year can be like a punch in the gut. I’ll try to counter act that with a hopeful goodie/prize. It retails at ElizabethArden.com for $20, and smells quite nice–floral with a little spiciness: Sunflowers. Fragrance-phobic? Here are a few reviews of the fragrance by some people who tried it.

It’s a nice way to brighten your Hoodie days in hopes of spring–And also makes a nice Hoodie Hoo season gift for a friend, mom, girlfriend, grandma, aunt, or wife… or adventurous male who enjoys floral spring scents.

To win this prize, name the strangest fragrance you’ve ever worn, (even if it’s a kind of bar soap, or hotel soap), in the ‘leave a comment’ area. A random entry will be selected.

What’s mine?

Dial Soap for Men (After 1.5 uses, I just couldn’t keep up with it. I’m just not man enough)

 

Sunflowers fragrance, Eau De Toilette, by Elizabeth Arden

Christmas and New Years Wishes ? (Updated)

I hope Christmas went well. I’m throwing out a question, or two, to you. Take a few seconds and think about your hopes, and wishes…

okay–ready?

What do you wish for in the New Year, that can’t be bought? (This doesn’t have to be profound)

And for fun– what is the worst, or silliest Christmas gift you’ve ever gotten? Mine would have to be one of the numerous re-gifts I’ve gotten from family members. It’s hard to pick just one.

One of the stinkers, for me, was the Mickey Mouse red collared polo shirt that exactly matched my husband’s shirt gift. It sported at least 300 Mickey heads, and a USA theme. Really tacky. Strangely enough, this was NOT a re-gift. It came with a receipt from Sears. When I took both items back, they were worth $1.75. Should I keep them, I thought? Nah! I took the cash and bought a small beverage.

Friend and silly man, Jon Acuff wins so far for silliest gift. Check out his great website.

Enjoy the holidays!

(link to photo source)

Christmas Spirit (in July)

 

It’s July 25th. Christmas day is exactly 6 months behind us. It seems far away from my mind now. Time has shot by, but the happenings of the day are sort of fuzzy. Every year I hear people say, “I wish the season of Christmas spirit lasted all year.” Or, maybe they even claim it does in their hearts. It does in some ways for me, but the greater reality is that I go from season to season, and at different times certain things stand out as more special. In the summer, I enjoy the outdoors more probably for the simple reason that I spend more time outdoors because of good weather. In the winter, I appreciate my close ties with immediate family and working on my interior life in substantial ways that play out in the months that follow the hard work of that time.

Defining what is the Christmas spirit can be slippery, because each person may hold a bit of a different emphasis. The gift of the Incarnation is celebrated that day, and the love, goodwill, grace, and peace of that event can inspire us to live that out toward, God, others, and hopefully ourselves.

What is the “Christmas Spirit” to you? What of it can play out in July?

What one (or more) thing/s will you do to fill your life with this spirit this weekend?

Let’s try a concerted effort at a Christmas in July experiment for the next day or so, and see what happens.

Thanks for coming by.