Tis the Season to Sumo

After months of waiting, the gift giving is here! I love to give at Christmas, but I also love presents. I love to shake them. I love to try and figure out what they are. I just enjoy the unknown and the unwrapping. And I love to see what people give me--not in a materialistic way but to see what they think I'd enjoy. I love to find out what says, "Todd needs this" to my loved ones.

Well, the gift giving this Christmas started off with a bang. My friend Camerin definitely has a finely-tuned "Todd needs this" radar as she was at Barnes & Noble and found this: Sumo Smash! This is a re-packeaged toy from the 1980s that was in the same line as that wind-up bowling game where the ball would walk down the alley. In the Sumo edition, you set up the little ring, wind up the wrestlers and them go! The first to fall down or be knocked from the ring loses. This is one of the best gifts ever. It's portable (so when I travel I can have my sumo ring in one hand and my portable blankey in the other). It's fun. And it's sumo. What could be better?




Actually, Christmas is my favorite time of year for reasons that go far beyond presents (tho they are cool). There's Jesus, of course. And, I have two other favorite things: 1) Work at Christmas and 2) Family at Christmas.

Work at Christmas is my favorite 2 weeks of the year. There's lots of parties and food. But really what I like is that no one is here. That sounds rude. And maybe it is a little. But I like that there's only a few people in the office--especially between Christmas and New Year's--because I feel like I can get so much done. This year, I am concentrating on cleaning the office. Jill walked up today and caught me just standing in the middle of my office staring around at the walls. It may have looked like I wasn't working...but actually, I was planning a major attack on the clutter and a launch of a new look. Let's face it, when you have an office as cool as mine, a lot of work goes into it. I have a rep to maintain.



And like everyone, Christmastime is also special because the family gets together. This last weekend, I got to see my family and The Intended and I got a lot of time to just relax and bond with the fam. Most of all, I got some needed Nephew Time in. You see, he's almost 3 months old now, and it was time to start his lessons on the history of the White Sox. So, at my Grandma's 85th Birthday party, I walked him around because he was fussy. As we walked I told him all about the 2005 White Sox--who are lineup was, how we used no bullpen help in four games of the ALCS, and how we won the Series. He really learned a lot. And was very soothed.



Later that day, he was again fussy. I was holding him and I don't know too much about babies. But I knew his dad told me that he really likes music. He listens to Baby Bach all the time (as opposed to Baby Got Back), so I thought he needed some music to soothe him. I decided to hum. But I didn't know what to hum. So I fell back on what I know. I hummed, "Go Go Go White Sox." He quickly settled down.


So now, I should go. I have a busy day of hanging posters, figuring out where to put my pirate ship and staring at Landon's Christmas photo.