Like many others, my mind is still in a haze, recovering from the holiday marathon. Three more containers of brisket remain until I’m finished with the leftovers and guaranteed to never want to see brisket again until next December. Other highlights:

* Both girls stayed awake for all holiday gatherings this year, two of which lasted past 9 pm. This is especially impressive for Cordy, who can rarely stay awake past 8 pm.

* Starbucks gift cards really are some of the best gifts out there. Nothing says love like the gift of sweet, hot caffeine. Restaurant gift cards (especially to restaurants that don’t have crayons) fall closely behind that. Cash trumps everything, of course.

* For the first time in several years, my mom did not stay with us on Christmas Eve. And for the first time in several years, Aaron and I slept without clothing on Christmas Eve. Yay, naked!

* The best part of Hanukkah falling over Christmas? You can hit the post-Christmas sales for any remaining Hanukkah gifts.

* The girls looked great in their dresses. Cordy loves her fancy dress and asks to wear it every day now. Had I actually paid for it, she probably would wear it every day to make it worth it. Still, it’s a gorgeous dress on her.

* No one was sick!

* I found out more family members read my blog than I originally thought. So to all of you who revealed yourselves last week: hi, welcome to my blog, and I’m glad you like it. Don’t be afraid to leave a comment now and then, OK? And I really can’t be held responsible if you read anything that is TMI for you (see third * above), so read at your own risk.

*Cordy picked a bad time of the year to learn new profanity. When told she couldn’t do something, she sighed in her saddest voice, “Aw, fuckers…” Wonder where she learned that word, Aaron?

* Little girls in their PJs and tutus are really cute.

* I’m thrilled that a large part of our holiday shopping came from small, independent shops. Gifts for Aaron’s family were purchased at the annual Winterfair craft show in Columbus, including a nice pen with a wooden case, a handwoven purse, and some dip mixes that are incredibly delicious. Mira scored with two dresses from Etsy:

Cute, aren’t they? Had we more money this year, Etsy sellers would have seen a lot more of my cash. Given the choice, I’d rather purchase something made by hand by a small-time business owner than something mass produced and probably made in a foreign country by children who should be spending their time in school or just, you know, being kids.

Which brings up another topic: have you seen the Help Save Handmade campaign? To sum up, a new act going into effect very soon would require all children’s products to undergo government lab testing before they could be sold. Despite the fact that the larger manufacturers are the more likely culprits of using dangerous materials or construction, this would require small-time crafters to pay the thousands of dollars for testing for each item – a cost most couldn’t afford, for products that are already made from natural materials.

If you haven’t already, read up on the issues, vote on change.org, join in the handmande meme, and get involved in contacting Congress and the CPSC to protest this act. Most of all, continue to support handmade businesses – many of which are started by moms and dads who want kids to have quality toys and clothing – so that our kids can continue to get cool handmade gifts every Christmas.