Twas’ Jaz’s Day Before Christmas!

Red Ornament on Tree -- [LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - September 2014]

Twas’ Jaz’s day before Christmas

And all truth be told,

Poor Jaz was suffering

From a mighty head cold.

 The medicines and fluids

Were lined up for use,

As warm soups and crackers

Were coupled with juice.

 Jaz called upon helpers

Brought both from far and wide,

To aid in his comfort,

To stand by his side.

 He called out to each of them,

One right after the next,

On DayQuil, on NightQuil,

On Advil, on Muscinex!

 When finally relief came

In no time at all,

Jaz’s inspirations returned

Amidst the mail call!

 *Pausing to Blow My Nose*

*Sipping Some Tea*

 Okay, so that’s about all the rhyming I can do for now. I hope that your shopping was successful and you’re ready to enjoy the most important parts of the impending holidays: celebrating with family and eating tasty foods!

Fortunately, my shopping was successful well ahead of schedule, which was fortuitous because I was unhappily waylaid by a notoriously debilitating head cold/sinus infection.

*Yuck*

While I’ve finally turned the corner on it, I’m still very tired and mildly miserable. However, I’m on the mend and I hope that by the weekend I’ll be well on my way to enjoying the remainder of the holiday season. Mind you, my mood is hardly down. In fact, given today’s mail delivery, my mood has greatly improved.

Just this afternoon, I received a mysterious package from wonderful new friends in the Janesville, Wisconsin area. Ms. Sara Heiss and a number of her students put together a marvelously kind and thoughtful Christmas gift package for me!

*Momentary Backstory*

For those of you who aren’t aware, Ms. Heiss is one of our nation’s great public school educators who strives – quite successfully, in fact – to encourage her students through engaging reading comprehension assignments. One of the books offered in her reading assignment list is my award-winning young adult paranormal novel, Gwen Reaper. Many of Ms. Heiss’ students read my novel, after which, I had the absolute pleasure to take part in an online video conference with her and her students. It was such a blast!

*Fast Forward to Today*

A Surprise Christmas Gift for Jaz  -- (PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

A wonderful box of happiness arrived in my mailbox; a box that included individually wrapped gifts for both me and my cat, Tabby! Also included was a thoughtful Christmas card from Sara and individual letters from a number of her students. I can’t convey how HAPPY it made me feel to read each of those letters…Sara and her students are simply the most thoughtful and kind souls. They made my Christmas one of the most memorable in my life; one that I won’t forget.

Tabby Looks Inside -- (PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

Tabby Evaluates the Gifts -- (PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

As you can see from the photos, Tabby enjoyed helping me investigate and unwrap each of the gifts contained therein. I think my kitty had as much fun as I did!

Tabby Unwraps Gifts -- (PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

Tabby Playing with Her Toy -- (PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

Ultimately, it was a WONDERFUL and AMAZING box of gifts for Tabby and me!

Gifts for Jaz and Tabby -- (PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO)

The Doctor Who t-shirt, Mad Libs book, and Tardis keychain will be treasured by me forever (as well as, worn and used with pride)! They were perfect for the dedicated Whovian that I am, and I was happy to know that some of Sara’s students are also fellow Whovians, as well. Tucked inside a mysterious black pouch were reaper sickle eraser heads, which will be excellent conversation pieces at the college where I work and teach. Of course, the alligator Gummy snacks are a highly amusing and tasty homage for the character Chewie from my Gwen Reaper novel. All in all, this was one of the BEST and most unexpected Christmas gifts I have ever received! Thank you!!

Virtual Santa --- [LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - November 2014]

Finally, I hope that you have a marvelous, happy, and illness-free Merry Christmas! Enjoy your time with friends and family, and THANK YOU for your continued support, kindness, and encouragement. You made my year very special, indeed!

*Big Hug*

Tis the Season! – or – Yule Be Sorry!

[LEGAL USE OF THIS PHOTO LICENSED AND SECURED VIA DREAMSTIME - October 2014]

Wow, it feels like I just finished eating Thanksgiving dinner, and yet, Black Friday and Cyber Monday have also come and gone. And let’s not forget the other litany of pithy slogans for other days that give merchandisers another reason to draw you to their shops and websites for holiday promotions and discounts. There was Shop Local Saturday, for one. Did I leave any out? How about Tip-Toe-to-Our-Sale Tuesday? Or perhaps Sin-if-You-Miss-It Sunday? Wassailing Wednesday? Tinsel Thursday? Frosty Festival Friday? *shaking my head*

As for me, I’m keeping the holidays simple. Yes, I’m giving gifts to a number of people, though most likely it will be of the plastic gift card variety. Honestly, what can we all really need? And besides, who really knows what each other needs? In the end, I’d like to think that, health and food notwithstanding, most of us really only need the compassion, support, and fellowship of each other to make the holidays fulfilling and special. I’m planning get-togethers with family and friends to celebrate the holidays; time spent with those I care about is always a gift worth savoring, don’t you agree?

For many people, between the holiday sales, baking schedules, and preparing for social gatherings for relatives and friends, there’s not a lot of discretionary time left to really sit and bask in the warmth and magic of the season. And isn’t that really such a shame?

Well, not me, I tell you. I’m already relishing mugs of hot cocoa and hot tea, thanks to the unseasonably cool and drizzly weather conditions that we’ve had in recent days. I’ve started watching my favorite holiday films and specials, including the classic Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Oh, and I plan to re-watch each and every Doctor Who holiday special to date, all leading up to the Christmas Day Doctor Who special starring Peter Capaldi. This will be Capaldi’s first Christmas special as the 12th Doctor. Frankly, given how stoic Capaldi’s Doctor has been portrayed, I’m not sure how many warm fuzzies Steven Moffatt can believable sell in the script. As such, I’m not expecting many moments for either heartwarming dialogue or sentimental tears. *Suddenly missing David Tennant and Matt Smith*

Image Property of Puffin Publishers, All Rights Reserved, 2013.

Are you doing any reading right now? I recently finished reading a short novella by Neil Gaiman, Doctor Who: Nothing O'Clock: Eleventh Doctor. It involved Amy Pond and a mysterious entity called the Kin. It was highly satisfying and conveyed fantasy in a manner that is nearly magical for Mr. Gaiman. Suffice to say, I highly recommend it! You can read my review of it on Goodreads.com at <click here>

Well, best wishes on your holiday preparations and celebrations. I have some public events coming up later this month, so please check in on my website under EVENTS very soon. For now, I’m off to watch some college football while sipping some tasty hot cocoa. The weather outside is cool and overcast, as well as occasionally drizzly with rain. Ah, tis the season!

Oh, and Tabby my cat says, “Meow-lo!”

[Tabby Waving -- PHOTO COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JAZ PRIMO]