December 5, 2000
Just 19 more shopping days until Christmas.

I have a love-hate relationship with Christmas. I love to get presents and I love to find that just so special present that I know will be perfect for someone. I'm am generally really good at gift buying. This year I've got some stumpers though with the in-laws. Mike's mom said get her earrings, but I think she's allergic to anything that's not gold and who the hell can afford gold?

I am also a devious evil little witch when it comes to my husband because I'm trying to get rid of his old nasty t-shirt collection by replacing them with equally cool, but less icky t-shirts. When I say collection, it's more like this collage of filthy stained yellowing hole-filled rags with armholes that ride up his back so high they show his butt.

I did find some nice ones that fit a big tall guy like him that should replace a couple of the nasty ones, but I'm going to have to wait until Christmas vacation when he's at work to get rid of them and just wait to see how long it is until he notices. I have to see how much I can steel myself into getting rid of them, too. Am I so intensely evil that I'll simply take them to the trash and be done with it? Will I stuff them in the dresser in the closet and hide them and claim I don't know anything about them while venturing one of those "really dear, I don't know what you mean" sniffs? If I do that, I'll just have to see how strongly he reacts when he realizes what mischief I've accomplished in the name of the Fashion Police.

I still haven't gotten rid of that moth-eaten rag tag buttonless trench coat he insists on wearing and always with shorts! I feel like I'm running around with a flasher. At this time of year, every time I see him in that horrid coat I remember a joke christmas card from a friend; it had a guy in a santa hat with a trench coat and you opened up the two flaps and Santa was only wearing a christmas stocking in the same manner of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

I feel like a Fashion Fanatic. I wonder if fanatic is like fantasy...I keep fanaticizing that I'll finally get him dressed in something that doesn't make him look like an unshaven alcoholic and schizophrenic pushing a shopping cart full of cans.

Claiming it was an early Christmas present, my darling hubby just gave me the CD that has "I'm gonna be" by the Proclaimers with the lyrics: "But I would walk 500 miles//And I would walk 500 more//Just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles//To fall down at your door." That's my favorite love song in the entire world and my husband remembered that I said something about that months ago. My husband is frankly, the king of the gift from the heart.

I feel like a total Grinch in comparison. I mean I got him shirts. Too bad, my husband doesn't let me dress him as easily as this guy.