I think it would be fun to do a Merry Swistmas package like we did a few years ago and then I forgot all about doing it ever again. Whoa, was that in 2008?? That is longer ago than I’d thought.
Anyway, I certainly wasn’t reminded of it as I was trying to stuff more things into the gift cupboard and being frustrated in that attempt. No. The actual inspiration is that I have a new favorite Christmas mug, and it was sold in a 2-pack so I have a spare.
It seems like there was something else as well, because I remember thinking, “Yes, but that’s two Christmas-themed things, which makes it a little disappointing if it’s someone who doesn’t Do Christmas”—oh, yes, I remember now: a copy of my favorite Christmas book, This Year It Will Be Different by Maeve Binchy. I didn’t love it the first time as much as I love it now that I re-read it every December. I can get happy-weepy just THINKING about reading it, which is PERFECT for making the Christmas lights look all diffused and pretty.
So anyway, that’s the backbone of the box, and then if I can get anything OUT of the gift cupboard I can see what the other options are. “Assorted” is the theme here. I’ll bet there’s some stationery in there, and maybe a Webkinz, and a pretty tote bag or coin purse or something. I don’t know, I don’t think I’ve been able to get in there since 2005.
The giveaway is only for U.S. mailing address (so if you don’t live in the U.S. but you have a friend/relative in the U.S., you can have the package shipped to them if you want—I can put in a little note saying it’s from you), which I realize is sad but there it is. You can, however, win it even if you don’t celebrate the same holiday as me: I’d just switch to a non-Christmas-tree/stories kind of theme, but the Assorted theme could still stand. You can enter by leaving a comment on this post before noon U.S. Pacific Time on Wednesday, December 11th, 2013. The comment can be anything, but if you’re like me and that kind of freedom makes you feel self-conscious and awkward, why don’t you tell me your favorite animal (I like cats for pets; foxes, squirrels, hedgehogs, and owls for decor), or tell me what you’d name a reindeer (I think Midge for a girl, Fisher for a boy).
Update: The winner is Caitlin of the December 4th, 12:56 p.m. comment! I’ll email you, Caitlin!
I think Barney would make a good reindeer name.
My favorite animals are dogs. I recently admitted to myself that I am super-afraid of big animals like horses and donkeys and basically anything bigger than a medium-sized dog.
I would name a reindeer Jackson, because that is the boy’s name I didn’t get to use because I have 2 girls!
I love hedgehogs, and I live in a state where they’re illegal to have as pets. I’m determined to smuggle one in someday! So far I just have a stuffed one that my mom brought me from London. His name is Harley.
Hurray for a giveaway that doesn’t require registering for something!
I like cats. But I can’t have one, because my husband is allergic. He got upset when I told him that I’d get a cat if he died before me. He thinks it’s morbid and the cat would somehow be replacing him; I call it planning ahead.
Fun! Reindeer names: Herbert for a boy and Francine for a girl.
i really love bears. i just think they’re neat, plus our zoo has two baby polar bears (LOVE). super fun.
thanks for doing this again! love hearing about your little gift(s) ideas. :)
Whereas I can actually see the shelf surface in my gift closet and I need two generic birthday gifts for this week. Ah well.
The best thing about Christmas is peppernuts. Also, I love having permission to answer questions that I want to be asked rather than the ones that are actually asked.
Ha ha! This made me go looking for the “like” button.
I love mugs. A new pottery painting company opened in a little town near me. It’s a little different because you order the plain pottery forms and then take them home with a full kit for glazing them at your leisure (well, over the course of a couple days or so). The company fires them for you and then returns them (pick-up and delivery is an option!). I recently tried it and chose some mugs. I will give them away as gifts, but I really don’t want to!
I need a gift closet. Anyhow. My favorite animal is the otter, and I have a fantasy in which I rescue a baby one and raise it and keep it in my bathtub. I have an alternate fantasy where I write a children’s book about that one day. So.
Otters are so cool! I love them too.
Favorite pet: my cat, Archer. But I’ve loved hedgehogs ever since I saw an article years ago with the title, “Driver, Spare that Hedgehog!” about a wildlife hospital in the UK called (appropriately enough) Tiggywinkles, where hedgehogs injured crossing roads are nursed back to health (http://www.sttiggywinkles.org.uk).
My favorite animal is the hippo, but my least favorite Christmas song is “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.”
Owls! My grandma had been collecting them since the 60’s, so I feel above the trend. But now that you mention hedgehogs & foxes… I’ll add those too. Who doesn’t love a good hedgehog?!
I like armadillos.
And I just finished a workout in which I was supposed to pretend to be a ninja, and let me say that it is good that the fate of the universe does not depend on my ninja skillz.
I love octopus(i? es? more than one), recently.
I’m a bona fide cat lady. :D
I have to say, though, my (now moved out of the house) daughter has a hedgehog (whose care fell mainly to me, when she lived here) and HOLY MOLY are those things messy!! They go to the bathroom in their wheel and then run in it all night long, so every morning you have to remove the seriously-fouled wheel and clean it. They are freaking adorable but not cuddly. My daughter was desperate for one and the reality was not quite what she imagined, LOL.
I collect chicken things, and chicken is delicious, but they are not cute in person. I miss having cats as a pet, now I just have a dog. She’s fine, but dogs just aren’t the same.
I do love my dog, Tilly, oh so very much. And if Tilly was to name a reindeer….she would name it Tilly.
Dogs are by far my favorite animal. However, I also love otters, penguins, meerkats and dolphins.
HAHA -OOPS! Remove the penguin. It is a bird. I guess I got carried away with swimmers, minus the meerkats. Unless they swim….I’ll stop now.
Well a penguin is not a vegetable or a mineral…
I love owls and foxes and beavers!
Favorite pet is sled dogs (yes, I just HAPPEN to have 2 huskies)! Non-pet would probably be narwhals. I’ve loved them since I was little!
I would name a reindeer Randolph, just to be That Guy.
Yay Christmas spirit!
Camels all the way for me!
I like dikdiks and capybaras, and of course cats. Yay!
I have been playing the favorite animal game a lot lately, so I am no longer stumped by this question. (“Favorite animal?” I think in response to my daughter’s eager question, and my mind goes blank. “I like many animals…of which I can’t picture a single one right now. Except for the dog whose poop I am currently carrying in a little bag. So, not that, other than in a general, as-long-as-I’m-responsible-for-you-I-will-love-you kind of way. Dolphins? But I don’t know any dolphins. Monkeys? But they bite.” Etc.)
So: spotted bats. That’s my favorite. And sure, they bite, but only if you try to catch them.
And I cannot think of a better name for a reindeer than Midge or Fisher. This makes me want to go out right now and get involved with a reindeer just to name it Fisher.
I’m with you on cats for pets. For decor/general animal-ness…hmm. I am fond of birds, and of fish things since my last name is Fisher, and mice are adorable when they are drawings and not real and in my home.
Well a cat is my favorite pet and you might know this about me, but I also really like owls. (You: ORLY, Sara??)
I think I’d name a reindeer Harvey because the world doesn’t seem to be ready for a baby Harvey, even though it’s a good solid name.
My favorite is a moose. But that’s only if we leave out wading birds and water birds and just birds in general because mostly I love birds.
I stand by my stance that I do not like cats. Even though I love mine. That’s like how some people feel about kids right?
My favorite cookies at Christmas are sugar cookies. Chewy AND frosted are a life’s goal of mine. Also it wouldn’t be Christmas without my aunts peanut blossoms (which I think is a stupid name for a delicious chocolate peanut butter cookie). Also I usually enjoy some type of spice cookie. A molasses crinkle, say.
Even if I don’t win I think I need to buy that book. My mom gets me a Christmas book EVERY year for my stocking – since I was a kid. It’s tradition. But I haven’t fell in love with one in ages. In fact I fell OUT of love with the one I used to read every year (Christmas on Jane Street) so you can imagine the distress. (“Distress”)
“I haven’t fell in love with one in ages” CRINGE. Fallen in love. Well, now Christmas is ruined.
Oh, how delightful. My go-to generic Christmas gift is an assortment of the following, depending on how much I like the person: a funny tea steeper (metal robots, silicone strawberries, etc), a handknit mug cozy, honey sticks, a nice mug or teacup, and samples of my favorites. Cacao shell tea, today.
I’ve been longing to name a female animal Hermione for years. I think it would work for a reindeer.
I don’t comment often, mostly because I read on my phone and it’s a pain in my tuchus, but this seems like fun!
I have sat here thinking and I really have no idea what my favorite animal is. All the above sound cute, but do I really care that much? I like a cute animal. It’s like football – I don’t have a favorite team but I’ll watch a good game.
BUT I have strong feelings about my least favorite Christmas songs. Christmas Shoes, Same Old Lang Syne, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, and Dominik the Christmas Donkey.
I love This Year Will Be Different!
I recently read that because they still have their antlers in winter, that all the reindeers who pull Santa’s sled must be female! This changes everything!
I am not very good at naming things. I always hear other people’s suggestions and think, “oh, good one.” I would probably name my reindeer “Sir.”
I love this.
I would love to have a cat or two. My parents just got two kittens, and it made me quite jealous. But they make my nose itch, and my husband will never ever keep an animal in the house.
So I decided that I will buy a cat the week he dies. If he dies before I do. Maybe a few weeks after, since I may be busy with plans and things. Haven’t told him yet. Probably won’t. I do miss my childhood cat. He was a lovely cat.
I love cats, dogs, horses and bats. Oh, and rats.
When I started reading your post, I thought you were suggesting a gift exchange with readers, people signing up for gift swaps. I did one of those once, it was awesome. This is cool too, though. :)
My sons favorite animal is jaguars, and the other day he corrected my other son’s pronounciation of “breakdas” wih “breftis” and would not take no for an answer!
Currently crushing on owls! Bought a fall owl coffee mug, and have requested a winter owl mug for Christmas. What? You don’t have a mug for each season?
I like monkeys and whales and wish to name a reindeer Leroy.
My favorite animal are probably Moose. But only to decorate with, because have you seen an actual moose in real life? They are bigger than a horse. Bigger than a Clydesdale draft horse. And can be mean. So, yeah. Decoration.
I like sea turtles. I tried and tried to see one on a snorkeling vacation/outing a few years ago and I did not succeed. But I love them.
I have three pet rabbits named Percy, Fritz, and Daisy. I think I would name a reindeer Clementine.
I like big dogs for pets (mastiffs and Great Danes and such) and bird themed things for decor. For reindeer I like Jingle for a boy and Holly for a girl.
I like cats for pets.
Oh, I really, really, really want the Swistmas package! I won a Swistle care package around this time in 2009, when I was pregnant with Felicity, and the thought of those Swistle brownies still makes me tear up with happiness!
Our neighbors have a pug named Midge, which is one of the best pet names ever, so I like that for a reindeer, too.
I would name a reindeer Jasper because it seems like it would fit in. I actually had to do the rundown in my head just now and make sure there’s not already a Jasper.
How did you go with your pumpkin pie? And how was your Thanksgiving overall?
We tried a Mrs. Smith’s, and the pie-lovers declared it “not bad.” Next year I think we’ll try a Marie Callender’s, and the next year after that a grocery story bakery pie, and the next year after THAT maybe I’ll be ready to give homemade another shot!
My favorite pet is a cat. And I love owl-themed decor/jewelry.
I’m just having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit this year…thinking about reindeer helps!
My ancestors are Norwegian, so I would choose Norwegian names for reindeer. Trygve for a boy and Solveig or Ingrid for a girl.
Thanks for the contest!
Oooh so fun! My favorite animals are penguins, and yes I do get inundated with penguin-themed things, especially at Christmas. There’s a lot of cute penguin items out there!
My favorite animal is my dog in particular. I also like most other dogs. And I think elephants are pretty cool, but I wouldn’t want one as a pet.
And I’d name my girl reindeer Shelby and the boy Otis.
Though I rarely comment, I always enjoy reading your blog. And thank you for allowing me to share important things (like the above) with the internet!
Cats! and I am allergic, but my numero uno cat is the one of the best heartbeats I have ever known.
I like birds, but not in my house. Currently squirrels are part of a seasonal display.
oohh. if i win this, it will be almost like getting the pen pal I always wanted.. for 1 day haha.
random facts: i can say the alphabet backwards really fast.
i like pets but can never remember to feed them sooo i don’t have any.
it’s almost time to make great grandmother’s eggnog – which calls for ~2 bottles of bourbon. At which point, I would get drunk and name my imaginary reindeer Gramnog.
I have been challenged on the spelling of my name before and asked to produce a birth certificate proving that this is the legal spelling of my name.
I would name a reindeer Tycho. I think oddball non-standard names are perfect for animals. Also, any baby animal is my favorite.
I’m supposed to be working now ( from home) but my infant is nursing so I’m reading your blog instead… Can I have the package please ? :-)
What a wonderfully fun idea!
I can name a reindeer. I’d name her Frankie and she would boss all the other reindeer around.
My favorite animal at the zoo is the giraffe, and all of a sudden, my teen daughter is in love with giraffes, too. I haven’t told her lately how much I like giraffes, because that would probably require her to find another favorite animal.
I’m into foxes right now too.
I am a dog person – but not a small dog person, though they can be cute. So, dogs for pets. But I always enjoy looking at the otters at the zoo, and when I was younger, I had an unhealthy fascination with snakes and spiders, probably because it freaked everyone else out.
While I like almost all animals, I prefer dogs as pets.
I like to make plates of goodies to give neighbors and friends. I usually find cheap ($1-$2) holiday plates at the grocery store, and include the plate as part of the gift. I love the idea of serving cookies, fudge, etc., on a Santa or snowman plate. I avoid making fussy, time-consuming treats, in favor of simple (but yummy!) things like squares, fudge, “birds’ nests” (clumps of chow mein noodles coated in melted butterscotch chips) and those chocolate-oatmeal no-bake “cookies.”
I’m a huge Maeve Binchy fan, I love coming across someone else that reads her books too!
My favorite animals are lions. We don’t have any pets because I’m too lazy to take care of animals and kids.
I like cats and dogs for pets, and otters for wishing I was one.
I love foxes, hedgehogs, and owls too! I think I’d name a reindeer Sparky.
If I had a reindeer, what would I name it? Hmmmm…I think Scooter for a boy, and Starshine for a girl. Don’t know where they came from, but I just like them!
I used one of our top unused names for the elf (Ruby) so I’d use some of my other favorite but I can’t use names for reindeer. I think I’d go with Celeste and Ronald.
I don’t know that I have a favorite animal – I used to love dogs and then I had the dog from hell and honestly he ruined the species for me for the time being. So now I just enjoy admiring animals from AFAR. Though, I am absolutely terrified of deer. I see them every morning on my run and every morning I damn near pee my pants in fear of the deer. And it’s not like I have any near death deer attacks in my past. Nope. Just one woman’s completely irrational fear of deer.
The comment I would like to leave is that I think you’re awesome. Have a nice day.
Hmmmm… cute reindeer names…. Maybe Mabel for a girl and Toby for a boy.
Fritz for a boy, and Swede for a girl. Also, what would everyone bring if invited to a Christmas Eve’s Eve (Dec. 23rd) brunch?
Favorite pet is a dog, but I love hedgehogs.
My favorite animal is a four year old. And 90% of the time, the problem with homemade pumpkin pie is the cloves, which are of the devil and should be shunned. And I sometimes make up statistics.
I’m anti-pet these days, at least until the kids are a little more helpful (ha!) – but I’m really a cat person. Dogs are a lot more work, especially when you don’t have a backyard. I’ve really been fascinated by Sphynx cats lately. The way I see it, a hairless cat would eliminate half of the problem I have with my current cat: hair on all the things.
I think that Archibald would be an excellent reindeer name.
My favorite animals are frogs and penguins. My dream is to one day actually get to touch a penguin.
My favorite animal for a pet is a dog. My favorite zoo animal is the giraffe. Oh, and I would totally name my reindeer Gideon. :)
Maybe I will be lucky b/c the last date to enter in my 40th Bday :)
If I had a reindeer- and I will assume male- I might have to name him Mark. Which doesn’t sound very creative BUT one of my friends used to have a rescued greyhound who’s name was Mark (from his racing name “On the Mark”). Mark kind of resembled a deer due to his build. It was funny to hear my friend talk about his dog because Mark sounds like such a “people name” and that dog definitely considered himself human. He was so timid due to his history of abuse but such a sweet dog. So Mark it is. My favorite pet is a dog but my favorite animal has always been a tiger. I have a license plate with a tiger on it- Philadelphia Zoo license plate which I’ve had sine 1997 :)
Dogs are my favorite animals.
Wishing you the very best shopping luck this season!
My favorite animal in real life is our bullmastiff Coco…who could, coincidentally, double as a reindeer. I would, however, agree with decorating with woodland animals…and perhaps add whales and moose to that mix.
Sea Otters-so cute!
Owls!
I used to think I was a cat person, but then my fiancé and I moved in together and combined our cats. Now it’s just! too! many! I don’t have enough hands to scratch ears or enough laps.
Favorite animal: Sea lions! Or giraffes! I can’t decide!
My favorites are always cats
I was just going to say “Oooo a contest” and mention that I like all kinds of animals, but then I saw TG’s comment and had to drop everything to research St. Tiggywinkles and add it to my list of places to visit in this lifetime. Awesome!
I would name a girl reindeer Darla, Baxter for a boy. :)
Being Jewish…I never thought about naming reindeer…tho’ I like your ideas.
My favorite animal, as in one-to-live-with, is dog. Hands down. My favorite animal, as in one-to-find-at-the-zoo, is the okapi.
What a fun giveaway!
I like Vincent for a reindeer. Or Lady.
Whee! Thank you for these kinds of giveaways – they’re awesome. I like cats as pets, but I also really like rabbits.
I would name a reindeer Harold. In real life they always strike me as being grumpy old men.
Favorite animal: dog
Reindeer name: Stormy
Ikea has a ton of hedgehog stuffed animals, etc. right now. I was very excited to get a whole woodland creature set of cookie cutters (hedgehog, moose, etc) today. Coincidentally, this weekend I watched a TED talk about how words end up in the dictionary and the speaker mentioned that her favorite word was erinaceous which means “of, pertaining to, or resembling a hedgehog.” Now that I think of it, maybe the moose is actually a reindeer…
Owls. Merry Swistmas!
I would name a reindeer Solovette if it was a girl, and Nevar if it was a boy – names I love but would never give an actual child.
Rodney the Reindeer!
I like dogs for pets, and we actually have two guinea pigs now too, which i love more than i expected. Decor-wise, i like most of the same animals as you, though i don’t know that i’d throw squirrels into the mix. Owls are my favorites. They’re adorable.
I love Maeve Binchy.
If I had a reindeer, I’d be looking for a Christmas-themed name, but something kind of subtle. (Because heaven forbid I name MY PET REINDEER something non-subtle). Like Clara (from the Nutcracker) or Buddy from the movie Elf.
Favorite pet…dog
Name a reindeer…Otto
I really just wanted to know if you’ve seen the “sweater” mugs at Target? It’s a totally generic white mug that is….wearing a sweater! With a little button! It’s adorable!
A commenter above mentioned a knitted mug cozy and now I’m wondering if this is a “thing” for mugs and I never knew?!?
Huh…I learn so much from Swistle and the commenters!
My favorite animal to have as a pet is a cat, but sadly, not the cat I currently have. For pure cuteness though, I’d pick a koala.
I think a reindeer should be named Rudolph or Ruby (depending on gender of course).
My favorite animal is … hmmm.. .I love giraffes (but would not want one as a pet). Zebras are very cool as well. As for a pet, I prefer something very low maintenance. Like cats. Or goldfish.
Hi! My favorites are narwhals and stegosauruses. I aim for good pet possibility, y’know?
But also, I have goldfish. They’re really fat.
Oscar – the meaning might possibly be “deer lover” from Gaelic. It could also come from Old English Osgar, though, so that’s not really definitive.
In fact, I think I’d call a reindeer Oscar Wilde, for obvious reasons.
I love cats for pets (but my nose doesn’t). This is such a sad, sad fact. For decor I like birds. Especially sweet little fat ones. And fish (I’m from Florida). Happy Christmasing!
Everytime I see fox stuff (which is pretty much anytime I’m inside a store lately), I think of you!
This sounds fun! My current favorite wild animal might be bats. I was pondering what to name a reindeer and Lucas popped into my head. Lucas the reindeer? Why not!
As a kid I collected pig stuff. Now I have two dogs. And I spend too much time looking at pictures of hedgehogs.
I think you are great. Even though I don’t expect to win, this feels warm and cozy, so thanks.
And I think the best part of Christmas is peppermint.
My Favourite animal, in general, is a meerkat. They are so alert and watchful (and cute and cuddly)! I had to “be” a meerkat for a semester during an acting class once, which you would think would have ruined it, but NO! I like them even MORE!
Merry Christmas!
Giraffes have lovely long eyelashes. Why is it that the two animals we term ‘reticulated’ are the giraffe and the python? Mammals FTW!
Does anyone remember a children’s movie about 30 years ago that featured an animal named RickyTicky Tovie (or something to that effect)? What kind of animal was that?
Rikki Tikki Tavi! I loved that movie, even though it scared the heck out of me whenever we watched it. It’s based on a Rudyard Kipling story about a mongoose.
The very finest animal is, of course, the goat. I think your reindeer names are excellent–if I had goats I would name them Mitten and Schneehopli, as anyone who has spoken to me for more than 20 minutes or so already knows.
I am glad the contest ends early enough that if I don’t win I still have time to buy that Maeve Binchy Christmas book for myself. I’ve never read anything by her and made a note of the book when you mentioned it last year…
I like owls and dolphins. I am allergic to cats so I’d have to say I like dogs for pets, although I’m not a lover of all dogs, mostly just my dog… I am not sure we’d ever get another because I like his specific personality so much I think I would be disappointed by any other dog.
My reindeer would be named Tracker for a boy and Luna for a girl.
I was just thinking that I needed to find a “Christmas read” so maybe I’m destined to win this one…
I love otters. If I could have a pet otter, I’d do it in a heartbeat. (Though for realistic pets, I like cats. Unfortunately, my husband is deathly allergic. Sigh.)
As for reindeer names…I’m gonna go with Oprah and Dr. Phil.
My favorite animal is a buffalo. Well, American bison to be exact.
Pick me! Pick me!
We are a cat kind of family, but my son and I are deathly allergic, so we live in perpetual pet-less sadness.
I called my 4-month-old Hedgehog in utero and he is just the best baby (don’t tell my other two), so hedgehogs are my favorite. I’d name a reindeer Reuben.
Hi Swistle! Hope you are well. I’d name my reindeer Wally and Wanda, and I like many of the same animals as you (which I feel might be due to years of Swistle Influence) :)
This is so sweet, Swistle. Thanks for the chance to win!
As a teacher I play the whats your favorite….. game a lot!!!! And I have come to the conclusion that my favorite animal is an elephant mainly because they are social animals that live in family groups, they are resourceful using their trunk as a nose, a hand, an extra foot, a signaling device and a tool for gathering food, siphoning water, dusting, and digging. Oh what I wouldn’t do for an extra hand some day :) On the other hand Panda’s would have to be my least favorite animal because while they look cute, they are not family oriented, their diet provides them with limited energy therefore they have to eat all day and they have little to no biological interest in saving their species.
dogs for pets; whales, sharks, chimps for studying.
pick me!
I like cats as pets but the skunks that waddle through my yard every night are pretty cute too. No petting though!
A happy part of my day is this moment, after my kids are in bed, when I get to read your blog.
You had me at the possibility of a Webkinz! And a male reindeer should definitely be named Bruno.
If I try to bribe you with even MORE postcards will that help my chances? How about the fact it is -13°f in my new city and it’s probably 50°f outside my house right now? Does pity move you? :D
I’d have a reindeer named Agamemnon! :)
Favorite animal is a panda. Panda everything!
Reindeer names: James and Lily, because Harry Potter.
I love penguins and otters and seals! And I would name a reindeer Glenda or Bruno.
I would name my reindeer Theodore.
My favorite animal is a dolphin. Clearly my inner teenager is still alive and well. (Lisa Frank forever!)
My favorite animal is a penguin. Or maybe the turtle. Or owl.
My reindeer name would be ‘Blitzed’ because my 4 yr old insisted one of Santa’s was named Blitzed. Thanks for the contest!
My brain totally shorted out on this one. At first I thought it was an exchange, so I kept trying to figure out if I had stuff I wanted to send. Then I re-read it today and…no. Not even close, Jessica. But it’s even better! I don’t have to do anything except enter!
I think Ruby would be a lovely name for a reindeer.
I would have a pair of reindeer named Roxanne and Reginald.
This is unrelated to the favorite animal question (elephants, for the record), or the reindeer question (Coco and Poco), but it IS related to “comment can be anything” and this morning I feel like exploring that freedom, when ordinarily it’d make me go “hmmm, I guess I won’t enter the giveaway then because FEELINGS OF AWKWARD prevent words from forming”.
I got a comment on a blog I haven’t written on for months, literally months, from someone who a) I had no idea she knew my new blog address and b) I always thought she really didn’t like me, and the comment was short but sweet, so I guess that shows how well I read people (answer: terribly). Now I’m all in a dither because I’ve been thinking about going back to blogging again but I am not sure I want the same audience that I had before. I’m no longer in the same mental space I was back when I was a regular blogger of no note whatsoever.
And I wanted to express my feelings of ditheration, but I didn’t want to do it on my blog (my ordinary first choice) because I wasn’t sure it was such a good idea after all. Hence, this comment.
That IS a tricky situation. I know of a few bloggers who have completely changed blogs and blog names more than once, and my guess is that that’s the kind of thing that motivates it.
I like elephants and hedgehogs and foxes. I would name a reindeer Millicent NN Millie.
Merry Swistmas!
My favorite animals for pets and decor are birds. My favorite for watching at the zoo is the walrus. I think I’d name a reindeer Pepper.
I like dogs for pets, except my dog is kind of a pest these days, and frankly I don’t have time to figure out why she’s parking in the kitchen, what with my 4 very young HUMAN children. So with that in mind I’m going to say fish.
BARKING, she’s BARKING in the kitchen, not parking. My dog can’t drive, and if she could I would hope she wouldn’t park in the kitchen. There.
I like a dog for a pet — I have a little black one, and she’s the best. My daughter would name the reindeer Gloria and Johnathan.
I like cats for petting and purring, and octopuses for watching on YouTube. And I think a boy reindeer should be called Clyde.
Elephants are my favorite animals, though I also love primates of all kinds, toads, mice, turtles, owls, and polar bears. If I had a reindeer I’d name him Frederick or her Heloise. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
Off the top of my head, I’d name my reindeer Olaf and Gerta. But if I went with baby names I didn’t use it would be Lucy and Bertram, nn Bertie Wooster. I’m interested to ask my 5 year old what she would name reindeer. This week she wanted to know all the names we thought of before we picked her name, and her brothers’ names too.
Petunia. I’d name my reindeer Petunia.
I am so excited for a fun giveaway where I don’t have to do anything but comment. So retro. My favorite pet is a cat but I don’t decorate with anything since I move every year. Or twice across country this year. Anywho, happy holiday and thank you for a fun give away.
Oh I am thrilled by the idea of a Swistmas package! If I were to name a reindeer I would go with Freya for a girl, and Barnaby for a boy. But really I think I would get a girl reindeer, because I feel there is a slight gender imbalance in Santa’s stables. I’m just assuming that I’m naming this reindeer for Santa, naturally. My favorite animal for a pet is a dog, especially my dog, who normally prefers my husband to an irritating degree, but yesterday when I was laid out in bed all day with morning sickness (deceptive name by the way), he stayed with me all day. In animals I like but don’t see having a future cuddling by the fire, I have to go with bison. I wrote a report on them in the fifth grade that has really stuck with me…also I think I have a little guilt from my days as an Oregon Trail hunter. Yes…I did have the highest score in my class. Fifth grade was quite year.
I speak to the regular deer in my yard often (I’m no Dr. Doolittle so they don’t answer) and all the boys are Fred and all the girls are Fancy so I’d go w/ that for reindeer names, also.
My favorite animals are probably cats in terms of pets and owls/foxes in terms of wildlife decorations. I would name a reindeer Leroy. :)
I think »Elise« would be a great name for a girl reindeer :)
Penguins are my favorite, with giraffes a close second.
I read this just now, and was so sad that I’d missed the deadline for entry, and then realized, HEY, she said Pacific Time. I thihk that’s 3 hours behind us…or three hours before us. But Google has assured me it’s only 9:30 AM PT, so here’s my entry, right on time! :)
Well. Damn. I missed it. :(