Happy December 25th!

Not everyone celebrates Christmas, but at least for some of us, December 25th is a lovely time to give and get presents.  Hooray for presents!

Er, wait, no. Of course not. How crass! That's not what Christmas is about.

It's a religious holiday, at least for those of you who do the religion thing. And it's a lovely chance to hang with family and/or friends, eat gargantuan meals, and enjoy festive gatherings where everyday worries and concerns are set aside in a spirit of joy and peace.

(Or heck, it could be a time to trade sarcastic digs and bicker about petty resentments and keep grousing and sniping until finally the day ends with regrettable insults and sobbing and hurled objects and door slamming.  If that's how you and your loved ones like to roll on a holiday, yikes, sorry!  Some of us got a bit luckier in the family department).

But anyway, let's go back to the question of presents...

Did any of you happen to receive an ebook reader or a gift certificate for Amazon or some cash or otherwise find yourself with a desire to check out new reading material?

Well, here are a few blogger-friendly ideas if you're looking for some!

For those of you who haven't already bought it, Carla at Mizfit has a brand new ebook out, hooray! Lots of great advice and common sense and fun, as you would expect from one of the world's most inspirational fitness bloggers.

And yeah, sorry, I couldn't make the pictures clickable, so here is a link to the very cool MizFit ebook.

And there's some great news for you Primal/Paleo folks: the awesome Mark Sisson and Jennifer Meier of Mark's Daily Apple has a new Primal Blueprint book out, and this one definitely looks fun: Primal Blueprint Healthy Sauces, Dressings, and Toppings. The recipes use no gluten, grains, legumes, added sugar, or trans or polyunsaturated oils.

Another intriguing title is  Karen C. L. Anderson's book, After (the Before and After). 

It's a chronicle of her journey of  "weight loss, weight gain, and weightlessness through total acceptance."  Check out this link at her website to get more info and buy her book about self-acceptance and weight loss. Self-acceptance seems in awfully short supply among women with concerns about their weight, so let's bring on a little more of it!

And rumor has it some other fitness and weight loss bloggers have books coming out too, so I'll be sure to keep you posted.

OK, Really, It's Not About the Presents

Despite the many complaints I have about the holidays, it's hard not to be at least a little warmed and cheered by the notion that many families and friends and even strangers are taking a few moments today to try to be generous, forgiving, loving, and grateful.

And I'm feeling particularly grateful for all the wonderful people who I've met through this silly blog!  May you all have a wonderful December 25th, and may there be peace on earth, at least for a few freakin' hours. 

Hope you are safe, happy, warm, hopeful, and full of love and joy today!  Merry Christmas and/or Happy December 25th!

Christmas presen Images: Vintage Feedsack
S.A.D. cartoon: Natalie Dee.