Friday Five 22-December

1. What is your favorite winter holiday memory?
I don't really have a "favorite winter holiday memory".  At least nothing that pops out when this is asked. However, one funny time I remember is around 10 or 11 years ago, when we first got Menina (the dachshund mix we have), she was with us around 2 weeks by Christmas, and during the annual Christmas Dinner my Mom loves to host, at around 10-ish pm and the dog simply just walked away from the party and went into my room and slept on her bed. The dog's bedtime was around 9ish or so in the past 2 weeks that we got her, and the party was just too much for her. It was funny in a way that the rest of the family just decided not to bother the dog and the party dispersed.

We also used to get a real tree and we actually had candles instead of the electric lights thing for it. But that's a memory from a long long time ago. When my Dad went working as an expat in China we stopped having a real tree.

2. Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts and why?
Actually... I like giving and receiving gifts as much as any other person, what I dislike is being forced to get people gifts because of an occassion. Say for example, when I go out and see something that I think a friend will like, then I'll buy it and gift it. Birthday gifts are OK (but really stretching it). I really hate Christmas gift shopping. We buy for every single person in the family... so every year, by Christmas, I have to shop for 21 separate presents with a lot of politics going on such as:

1. 3 cousins are brothers, so I either have get them the same thing, or different things worth the same amount of money.
2. Person A. is a cheapo so my gift shouldn't be of a luxurious price or whatever
3. Person B. gifted me a scarf last year, so it's better if I do not gift them back a scarf this year.
4. Kids - I have to gift something a little more valuable or meaningful for my godsons, but I can't let the others lose face either
5. Kids - the 2 brothers will fight each other for toys, so I have to research and see what's the newest toy/gadget/cartoon/franchise for kids and get them something similar. Cannot be exactly the same then they'll see me as being half arsed, but also cannot be one kid gets the hot item while the other one gets a no-one-wants it item
6. I have to buy a present each for the separate families of my cousins (cousin, wife, kid1, kid2) whereas they gift me one present as a family. Do the math how to balance the value of the gifts.
7. No idea what to gift the uncles so I just get them a bottle of wine every year. I know nothing about wine. I can hardly remember what wine I gifted last year so I don't repeat it this year.
8. No guarantee the gifts received will be something that you like. Or useful. Or actually pretty in your eye, because well, different people, different taste. Not that I complain about that, no, I don't. But then it comes to a point when you receive more useless stuff that you have no space to put and can't gift it forward, etc, etc..... if you get my drift.

If you say something like "it's the thought that counts", well yes, I agree with the sentiment of this phrase, but in real life it's bullshit.

3. What is your favorite winter holiday tradition?
None. If there's a do nothing and just lay in bed and let the festivities go on at other people's places then it'd be wonderful. I don't sound very cheerful do I? I'm really sick of all this.

4. What is your favorite holiday tv special or film and why?
As a kid, it was watching Home Alone and Home Alone 2 every year. Now, not so much.

5. What is your least favorite part about the holiday season?
The whole #2 thing above. Also, because my Mom loves to host the dinner party, who do you think has to do all the cleanup and preparation before and after the party? Oh, and be the chauffeur for those who don't have a car? One Christmas I had a fever and still I had to do the chores and drive people around. I had a fever going. I had meds in me. I had to go drive people. Gosh I really hate Christmas. It's tomorrow. Sheesh....

Book: All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small
James Herriot
Amazon.com product Link

The classic multimillion copy bestseller

Delve into the magical, unforgettable world of James Herriot, the world's most beloved veterinarian, and his menagerie of heartwarming, funny, and tragic animal patients.

For over forty years, generations of readers have thrilled to Herriot's marvelous tales, deep love of life, and extraordinary storytelling abilities. For decades, Herriot roamed the remote, beautiful Yorkshire Dales, treating every patient that came his way from smallest to largest, and observing animals and humans alike with his keen, loving eye.

In All Creatures Great and Small, we meet the young Herriot as he takes up his calling and discovers that the realities of veterinary practice in rural Yorkshire are very different from the sterile setting of veterinary school. Some visits are heart-wrenchingly difficult, such as one to an old man in the village whose very ill dog is his only friend and companion, some are lighthearted and fun, such as Herriot's periodic visits to the overfed and pampered Pekinese Tricki Woo who throws parties and has his own stationery, and yet others are inspirational and enlightening, such as Herriot's recollections of poor farmers who will scrape their meager earnings together to be able to get proper care for their working animals. From seeing to his patients in the depths of winter on the remotest homesteads to dealing with uncooperative owners and critically ill animals, Herriot discovers the wondrous variety and never-ending challenges of veterinary practice as his humor, compassion, and love of the animal world shine forth.

James Herriot's memoirs have sold 80 million copies worldwide, and continue to delight and entertain readers of all ages.



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A very interesting read. The voice was easy as well. I couldn't say which story was a favourite, but definitely there were many stories that I could relate to. Loved the way he first got the dogs under control. His boss vexed me much like how my boss vexes me, haha.

Will eventually read James Herriot's other books.