It’s the time for giving, getting, and being various shades of merry!
For some, it is also a time to mess up a Target Portrait Studios photo shoot in order to show off a pair of Christmas socks.

For me, it is a time to shut down the ol’ blog until the new year.
I’ll be back soon! And don’t worry; I have some big things planned for January:
- New resolutions (and a lament about the only resolution I didn’t manage to pull off in 2015)!
- A new doodle contest (with a twist)!
- And a somber tale about my family’s funniest funeral.
Until then, have a wonderful holiday season!
Ha ha ha. What a treasure your son is!
Enjoy all the shades of Merry. ๐
I do think that kid is the best present I have ever received.
Have a Merry Christmas, Tess!
I know what you mean.
I had one daughter and now have two granddaughters. Life is absolutely amazing. The older one isn’t a teen yet. ๐ Close though. ๐ ๐
Love the socks – love your funny son. My nephew Chris insisted that all of his groomsmen wear clever socks at his wedding this past August (fun socks are Chris’ m.o. at work and at play). Everyone enjoyed the patterns and colors at the bottom of the tuxedos. Merry Merry to you and yours. Looking forward to your wonderful blog posts in 2016.
I like the way your nephew thinks.
In fact I’m going to take a page from his playbook. When I die, no one will be allowed to attend my funeral unless he or she is wearing a Hawaiian shirt.
PERFECT! Aloha and Mahalo.
And a Very Merry Christmas to you, too, my friend!
A very Merry Christmas to you, my friend! I hope you have a wonderful holiday with your family and friends. xx
Thanks so much, Sue. Have a joyous holiday in your idyllic Canadian wonderland!
Merry Christmas, Mike to you and yours. That’s the best photo ever.
Right back atcha, Catherine! Happy Holidays!
Happy Holidays, Mike! May 2016 be a great year for writing and publishing contracts.
All I want for Christmas is a contract. Maria Carey should sing a song about it.
Have a joyous holiday, my friend!
Merry Christmas, Mike!
Your son’s picture is fabulous.
And a Merry Christmas to you, Rebekah! Please give your family and sick chickens my best wishes.
Those socks deserved to be shown off! Merry Christmas, Mike. I look forward to seeing what you have in store for us in the New Year.
Yeah, you’re right, Michelle; they are pretty groovy socks.
Have a joyous holiday season, my friend!
Love the socks, but I think the entire family should be showing off a pair. Merry Christmas, and don’t let the big guy pass you by. You said you weren’t tired of rhyming, right?
Oh, Santa’s coming.
We’re getting a Christmas instead of a diss-mas!
Yes, yes, I know. That rhyme sucked.
May you and your family (and especially that punk kid of yours) have the happiest of holidays!
๐๐ love that photo – Merry Christmas x
Thanks! I dig it, too.
Happy Holidays!
Alliteration I haven’t come across before: family’s funniest funeral! Looking forward to it.
When I was a magazine editor, I would drive my publisher crazy with my alliterative headlines. In short, my Party Pooper Publisher Protested Playful Prose.
This is the best kind of portrait … displays the true personality ๐
Merry Christmas and best wishes!
Oh, yes. That’s his personality, alright.
And an extra Merry Christmas to you, too!
Merry Christmas Mike. Your son is adorable. By the look on his face, I’d say he has a lot of you in him. Enjoy your time away. You’ve inspired me.
Alex embodies the weirdest parts of both Ellen’s and my personalities.
This allows my wife and I to accusingly point at each other and say “He gets that from YOU!”
Happy Holidays, my good friend! Enjoy your own vaycay!
He takes after the old man himself…and I ain’t talkin’ about the fat man in the red suit! ๐ Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I am happy to say he does take after his old man.
I am less happy to say that the madness of Christmastime often makes me fell like an old man.
Have a joyous holiday, Karen. Let’s try to get together in 2016.
Yes! Let’s do! And you have an awesome Christmas, too!
I can’t imagine where the sense of humor came from…hmm…I wonder.
Have a great Christmas with plenty of laughs!
I don’t know either. We Allegras are usually a very serious and stoic bunch.
Happy Holidays, my fine friend!
Merry Christmas, and congratulations on such sweet socks.
Those socks are pretty nifty, aren’t they?
May your holiday, Laura, be filled with sci-fi goodness and a Star Wars viewing that bears no resemblance to The Star Wars Holiday Special.
My family did discuss there is snow and pine trees in Episode 7, but there aren’t any terrible musical numbers.
And you don’t have to worry about any embarrassing guest appearances from Harvey Korman, Bea Arthur or Art Carney because, well, they’re all dead.
Unless they come back as ghost-Jedi like Obi-wan does.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Mike!! I hope you have a wonderful VayCay!! ๐
Do forgive the lateness of my reply, my friend! I gotta little jump on the holiday.
Here’s hoping you and yours were extra merry!
This is really socking it to us. (Christmas socks are so much better than sweaters)
Merry on!
I concur. The only thing better than a pair of holiday socks is maybe this holiday suit:
http://www.shinesty.com/collections/suits/products/the-ugly-christmas-sweater-snowman-suit
Better put in my order for next year.
Hope you had a great Christmas Mike – thank you for the holiday greeting! (One year I might get organised and send some out). Looking forward to your New Year posts.
I am shocked and appalled by your distinct lack of Christmas carding!
Shocked. And. Appalled.
Here’s hoping your holiday was extra happy!
Mrs. Snelback? Yes, you are a writer, and a very brave one at that. I enjoy your sense of humor very much and looking forward to reading more next year. Thank you!
And thank you, Nan! You are indeed sweet.
Hahahah, happy holidays!!
And here’s hoping your holidays were hap-hap-happy Sassy!
๐