When I look back, I wonder at myself. Mike and I celebrate our 16 year wedding anniversary today. At our wedding, we set up a stereo in Carol’s bedroom window to play music in the backyard. We put in a Wagner CD and set it to repeat the entire afternoon.

The soundtrack for our wedding was Nazi-approved.

If I had known that Wagner had been a favorite of Hitler’s, I probably wouldn’t have liked him as much. Instead, Mike and I enjoyed the loud and emotional sound of Wagner’s work. Sixteen years later, we’re still judging music more on its sound than its politics.

I guess that’s a good thing.

President’s Day just feels like an excuse for the mail carriers and bank tellers to take a day off, but it all started with the desire to honor some of our best leaders.

If you have the day off, enjoy it. If you don’t, blame any activity on the fact that the banks are closed and the mail won’t come until tomorrow.

For more quotations:

• George Washington Quotes – The Quotations Page

• Abraham Lincoln Quotes – The Quotations Page

Every grocery store has a pink and red ode to love along their promotional aisle right now. Cardstock perforated valentines are available in every design from Sponge Bob to Barbie. Chocolate and flowers and even chocolate flowers are available for the forgetful needing a last minute gift. I walk past that aisle and I somehow think that we’re missing the point.

Click here to see all the quotations about Love:

• Love Quotes – The Quotations Page

If being average isn’t good enough for you, you might want to start reading my health and fitness weblog, Starling Fitness:

• Starling Fitness – Fitness, diet, and health weblog

I write about my own personal weight loss journey and review gadgets and diets. So many companies are out there trying to rip you off. Get a first-hand review of the new stuff out there before you shell out the bucks.

If you are stressing over a gift, remember this quote. It will help you decide where your heart is in this matter.

For me, the hardest gifts to fathom were coworker gifts. There were some coworkers that I really appreciated and I wanted to give them a little something at Christmas time. Then again, I didn’t want anyone to feel left out. I always felt kind of crappy when I noticed that other people got gifts and I was forgotten, and I didn’t want to make anyone feel like that. Then again, I felt horrible when I would get a gift and I didn’t have one to reciprocate. I didn’t want to forget the people I really appreciated, though. It was a wretched never-ending circle of thought that ended with me buying the same tiny boxes of chocolates for everyone, even the best people.

In the end, now that I’m gone from that office, what do I wish I did? Do I even care about those people I was so worried about “leaving out”? Now that I’m gone, do I worry about those people who did an exceptional job? No and no. I was open enough with my praise that the good people knew they were good. In the end, I should have just stopped worrying about all those coworker gifts and spent more time enjoying the holidays.

The best gifts I’ve received have been things like enthusiasm, honor and a sense of humor. The toys are all long gone and broken, but these gifts have stayed with me my whole life. If you are feeling stressed by the holiday and worried that you need to find that one perfect gift, remember that you are giving the best gifts to your children every day of your life.

It’s just Christmas.

“Peace on earth, goodwill toward men.” I’ve heard it a lot over the PA systems at the mall and department stores. I have felt more peaceful this year than I have in a long time. Part of the reason is that I decided to quit worrying. I just decided that I’m going to quit worrying. I don’t know how it happened this month. I’m usually a worry-wart and stress monkey. Something snapped inside of me this month and I just decided that I wasn’t going to worry.

I wish I could bottle it up and give it to you for Christmas. I wish I could give you a bulleted list on how I achieved this strange, holiday nirvana. The list would have just one thing on it:

• Stop it!

Stop worrying. Giving the perfect present is nice, but it’s near impossible. Instead, concentrate on finding something that says, “I love you.” Think about the best aspects of the person you’re buying for and choose something that matches. If it’s not a good gift, that’s ok. You are trying your best and the most important thing to know is that you love them.

Stop worrying. Getting a present is nice, but most of the time, our families have a hard time getting it exactly right. It doesn’t matter. They are just trying their best to tell you they love you. Even if they give you a needling present that might subconsciously tell you that you’re not good enough, remember that they are just trying to tell you that they love you. They want to help you and picking gifts is hard. They thought about you and they didn’t leave you alone in the dark season. No matter how insulting the gift is (gym membership, haircut coupons, or maybe a book entitled, “How To Get A Man”), you can see right through the gift to the heart and soul of what they are trying to tell you. They love you, can’t you see it?

Stop worrying. If you get the cards out, great! If you don’t, it doesn’t matter. People will hear about you next year. Maybe you’ll even find out who really cares enough about you to send you Christmas cards instead of those guilt cards that get sent out after yours arrive. If you get the lights up, great! If you don’t, enjoy the lights on the houses around town. That’s what they are there for. There can be no show without an audience. This year, you get to be the audience. If you bake enough cookies for all the neighborhood, great! If you don’t, remember them with a small gift for the home like a emergency flashlight or a handy multi-tool. It’s not the homemade cookies that makes them feel appreciated. It’s the fact that you remembered their names.

The song that plays on the overhead PA is telling you exactly what you need to hear. Give yourself peace on earth, peace in your home and peace in your heart. You deserve it.

I agree that books are an excellent present to give on Christmas. This year, I was lucky to read many agreeable books. Here are a couple that were entertaining:

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld: Young Adult Science Fiction
Read my review here: Pick Me! » Uglies
Read my collection of quotations here: Quotations Weblog » Archive » Uglies

Someone Comes To Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow: Adult Fantasy/Science Fiction
Read my review here:Pick Me! » Someone Comes To Town, Someone Leaves Town
Read my collection of quotations here: Quotations Weblog » Archive » Someone Comes To Town, Someone Leaves Town

Perfect Circle by Sean Stewart: Adult Fantasy
Read my review here: Pick Me! » Perfect Circle
Read my collection of quotations here: Quotations Weblog » Archive » Perfect Circle

Peeps by Scott Westerfeld: Young Adult Fantasy
Read my review here: Pick Me! » Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Read my collection of quotations here: Quotations Weblog » Archive » Peeps by Scott Westerfeld

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling: Young Adult Fantasy
Read my collection of quotations here: Quotations Weblog » Archive » Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling

Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming by Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. and Howard Rheingold: Adult Non-Fiction
An introduction to lucid dreaming by the man who was the first to prove that we can be conscious during sleep, Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D.

This is merely the collection of books that I have read this year. There are thousands more at your disposal. When you’re trying to decide whether to send the smoked salmon or chocolate cherries, maybe it’s time for something entirely different.

If you are like many people in the United States, the day after Thanksgiving is a big shopping day. Many stores hold sales on items that are ridiculously low just to attract us. After seven years of working at K-Mart, I vowed never to go shopping on the day after Thanksgiving. I no longer work in retail. I don’t have to be there in those crowds and madness, so I won’t be out there looking for the great deals.

For those of you braving the swarm of shoppers and searching for those elusive bargains, here’s a little advice: