My Favorite Holiday Treat

What I've Learned So Far...

My Favorite Holiday Treat

Today is Christmas Eve. In my circle of friends and family, this marks the last turn into the home stretch of the season's Holiday parties. This year was more hectic than usual because I had readings and signings to promote the new book*, along with a bit of guitar-strumming and speaking for Lost Voices.Now when most folks write about Holiday parties, it seems like they just want to gripe about them. I think they are just mad because they have to put on clean socks. Or, in my case, socks.

 

But you won't hear me griping. If you know me you know that I love all kinds of parties. I particularly love the kind that feature eggnog with rum in it, tables creaking under mountains of candy and fruitcakes, and sappy Christmas music. Especially the music. After fifty-eight years of listening to Bing Crosby croon "White Christmas," I still can't get enough.Of course my favorite Holiday treat is what happens all day long on Christmas Eve.

It begins when I go out in the morning to get an early start on my gift shopping, and I notice that even though there is a lot of last-minute rushing around going on, everyone is in a good mood. This is a pleasant change from the past few weeks. Ever since Thanksgiving people have been getting progressively more cranky as their bank balances dwindle and road salt cakes up on their loafers.

Read On...

 

* Helpful Holiday Hint - if Santa didn't bring you a copy of What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks, and Slush Nuggets, I know where you can get one!

If you enjoy What I've Learned So Far... and would like to see it in your local paper, just send the editor an impassioned plea and this link to my Web site.

Also, chase all your friends on over to my Web site to sign up, so they can enjoy it too! They'll thank you, and so will I.

- mike

Mike Ball

Author of What I've Learned So Far...
Winner of the 2003 Erma Bombeck Award

Web: whativelearnedsofar.com
E-mail: mike@whativelearnedsofar.com

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The Story of Carlson the Christmas Angel

What I've Learned So Far...

The Story of Carlson the Christmas Angel

Originally published December 24, 2007

Carlson was not a particularly happy Angel. You see, he wasn’t allowed to live in Heaven. He was a Guardian Angel, which meant that he had to hang around on Earth, taking care of his Client, Bob.

Now, Guardian Angel duty was about the most difficult job an Angel could have, even under the best of circumstances. Angels couldn’t change what their Clients said or did; they could only try to protect them from accidents. Or, more commonly, from the consequences of their actions.

Some Clients were really good people, always risking their lives to help others, and this sort of thing could keep a Guardian Angel pretty busy. Other Clients were hopelessly slow-witted or accident prone, and they needed a Guardian Angel around constantly just to keep them from getting their scarves caught in the wood chipper.

Carlson was not sure why he had been assigned to Bob, who wasn’t particularly accident prone, and who certainly wasn’t what anybody would ever call a good person. Bob liked to steal books from the public library. He liked to harass waitresses without mercy, then leave a one-cent tip. And if you ever gave Bob a Christmas gift, you were likely to get it back the next year, slightly used and usually re-wrapped in the same paper.

 

Read On...

 

Don't Forget! 

The new book is out, What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks & Slush Nuggets - and it's the perfect Christmas gift. Get over to Amazon.com and order yours today!

If you enjoy What I've Learned So Far... and would like to see it in your local paper, just send the editor an impassioned plea and this link to my Web site.

Also, chase all your friends on over to my Web site to sign up, so they can enjoy it too! They'll thank you, and so will I.

- mike

Mike Ball

Author of What I've Learned So Far...
Winner of the 2003 Erma Bombeck Award

Web: whativelearnedsofar.com
E-mail: mike@whativelearnedsofar.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

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What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks & Slush Nuggets - New Events

What I've Learned So Far...

 What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks & Slush Nuggets - New Book Events

As you may know, my new book, What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks & Slush Nuggets, has come out - coincidentally, just in time for Christmas!

Wow, what a great gift idea!

I have three book-related events coming up in the next seven days. If you're in the area, I'd love to see you.

First, this Saturday, December 12 from 7 to 9 PM at Barnstormers, I'll be playing guitars and howling toward a microphone at Sock Around The Christmas Tree, a Benefit for the Whitmore Lake Kiwanis Club. I'll be joined in musical mayhem by harmonica virtuoso Peter Madcat Ruth and percussionist Joe Lorenz. I'll also be signing copies of the book, with 10% of proceeds going to the Kiwanis. There will be munchies, a cash bar, and a DJ playing from 9 PM on. Tickets (it is a Benefit!) are $10 in advance or $15 at the door, plus a pair of socks for the needy.

On Wednesday, December 16 from 6 to 8 PM I'll be doing a free Reading And Book Signing at the Northfield Township Library. We'll have refreshments and copies of the book available for purchase and signing. 

On Thursday, December 17 from 8 to 9 PM I'll be doing a free Reading and Book Signing at the Brighton District Library. We'll have books available there for purchase and signing.

If you live too far away to visit, you can get your copies of the book on Amazon.com. 

Hope to see you!

- mike

If you enjoy What I've Learned So Far... and would like to see it in your local paper, just send the editor an impassioned plea and this link to my Web site.

Also, chase all your friends on over to my Web site to sign up, so they can enjoy it too! They'll thank you, and so will I.

- mike

Mike Ball

Author of What I've Learned So Far...
Winner of the 2003 Erma Bombeck Award

Web: whativelearnedsofar.com
E-mail: mike@whativelearnedsofar.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

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Santwilight

What I've Learned So Far...

Santwilight

 

OK, has anybody besides me noticed that Santa Claus is not getting as much attention as he used to get? At Christmas time when I was a kid, you could not throw a candy cane without hitting a fat guy in a red suit and beard. It seemed like every TV, magazine or newspaper ad featured the old boy peeking out from behind a Christmas tree, or holding up a bottle of Coke with a carbohydrate-fueled twinkle in his eye.

What happened? These days all we see are strangely-dressed pre-teen girls doing drumline dance routines, mannequins sliding across the ice in Rockefeller Plaza, and Geoffrey the Giraffe helping some little animated children loot a Toys R Us store. Santa has been all but forgotten.

Well, I've decided to do something about this situation. First, I came to the conclusion that here in the Information Age everybody should know a just little bit more about Santa. It seems logical that if people understand him better, they might like him more.

So I got busy and went to work on the problem with my new BFFs Angela and Jessica, blew off the surfing party on the Indian Reservation, dug around in some books of old Quileute legends, and came to a startling conclusion:

Santa Claus is a vampire!

 

Read On...

 

Hey! Guess What? 

The new book is out, What I've Learned So Far... Part I: Bikes, Docks & Slush Nuggets - just in time for Christmas. Order yours today!

If you enjoy What I've Learned So Far... and would like to see it in your local paper, just send the editor an impassioned plea and this link to my Web site.

Also, chase all your friends on over to my Web site to sign up, so they can enjoy it too! They'll thank you, and so will I.

- mike

Mike Ball

Author of What I've Learned So Far...
Winner of the 2003 Erma Bombeck Award

Web: whativelearnedsofar.com
E-mail: mike@whativelearnedsofar.com

You may automatically unsubscribe from this list at any time by visiting the following URL:

http://www.jmball.com/dlist/mail.cgi/u/wilsf/

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...Read more!