Modern Day Scrooge The Last Chapter

"I am not the Blogger I was. I will not be the Blogger I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope!...I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone (blog)!”

The following morning, Modern Day Scrooge awakens with joy and love in her heart and spends Christmas Day with her family after anonymously sending a prize turkey to the Blogosphere for a massive virtual Christmas dinner. Modern Day Scrooge has become a different Blogger overnight, and now treats her fellow Bloggers with kindness, generosity, and compassion, gaining a reputation as a Blogger who embodies the spirit of Christmas.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Everyone!

(The Brand New Liberty Post Coming Soon)

THE END

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 16

The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, harrows Modern Day Scrooge with dire visions of the future if she does not learn and act upon what she has witnessed. Most disturbing to Modern Day Scrooge are visions of a pawnbroker bidding on Modern Day Scrooge's blog, stolen from her home computer by her domestic servants; of a covered corpse on her bed, presumably her own; of the callous indifference of her fellow bloggers of the stock exchange to the news of a death, again presumably Modern Day Scrooge's; and of the grief-stricken internet family following Liberty Post's death, the implication being that LP will die because of her failure to pay a just wage sufficient to care for the website. The final vision presented by the spirit is of Modern Day Scrooge's own neglected and untended grave, prompting the miser to aver that she will change her ways in hopes of changing these "shadows of what may be."

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 15

Canned cheese. Enough said.

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 14

Tacky Light Tour (dot) com. A Tacky Light Tour is a trip made with family and friends from one home or business insanely decorated for Christmas to another usually made in a passenger car, but sometimes taken in limousines, vans and tour buses. Traditionally, displays with more than 10,000 Christmas lights qualify to be included among the very best Christmas displays found on the Tacky Light Tour. OMG LOL HA HA HA LPXO

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 13

Do you walk on deviled egg shells, sip your wine on thin ice, hold your cranberry breath? Do you bite your tongue when you chew your crispy turkey skin, imagine/dream/fantasize that your uncle slips on the gravy that just dripped on the hardwood floor or do you want to heave a pumpernickel roll at your sibling's head during 'Grace'? Do you feel like your family Christmas dinner is something like this photograph? (like something 'bull' is about to happen at any given moment?)

Ah Heck

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 12

And out of nowhere, The Ghost of Christmas Present appeared in Liberty Post's bedroom, hovering; floating over the bed whilst she dreamed in early morning splendor. And what did this Ghost show her? A December full of happy & beautiful posts to help her muster up some festive gratitude - for those around her, for her readers, for her family - Yes. She rolled over in the tossled and twisted cotton sheets - her brows questioned the vision of herself bald - 'I'm not bald', she whispered - sighed a little smile and continued to dream....happy, happy posts....want to see?

Christmas Coast To Coast In Canada

I am about to take you on a glittery, happiness-filled tour of my country at Christmas time. Please get comfortable and pour yourself some eggnog or hot coffee, warm tea (chocolate box on your lap), chilled wine. Come along with me as I slowly get de-scrooged...my country, My Canada. Enter TOUR HERE. LPxo

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 11

The Ghost of Christmas past made a visit to me over the weekend in the shape of a 1944 movie. This film helps me each year get into the holiday spirit and reminds me of the beautiful simplicity of the season. I feel nostalgic and very happy when I watch this movie. Click here to see 37 photographs that tell the story in about a minute flat! LPxo (not feeling so Scrooge-like anymore...a ways to go yet...the snow is falling where I live.)

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 10

No Gift Policy. I Feel Free.

"Anyway, my point is that since we are going to be so busy-we both decided on a "no gifts" policy this year. I feel free. I realize that we can do this because we have no children (children do need spoiling at least once a year, right) and because we are both so far from our families." - Abby Try Again

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 9 + BREAKING NEWS

So it's Christmastime and you've just found out your husband has cheated on you. (with 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11........dare I say.....minx....sexting, sans condoms, in every 'port', while you raise his precious children) What do you do? What are you advised to do? (by family, by friends, by your Mother, your Sister, by him) What do you want to do? It's times like these where I believe we shouldn't make anyone 'fake it' just because it's the holiday season. (unless they want to fake it) That's wrong, wrong, wrong. They are hurting. They are grieving the death of their 'white picket fence sparkly white lights cuddling by the fire dream'. A painful stuffing to swallow.

UPDATE: 8:59 AM

To add to this sadness, a woman has been rushed to hospital on advanced life support from Tiger Woods home.

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 8

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 7

Those planning to shop on the Internet (42%) have surpassed those planning to shop from catalogs (36%) for the first time in the history of the survey.
Planned spending among those shopping on the Internet ($641) exceeds planned spending among those saying they will shop from catalogs ($450) for the first time.
Shoppers saying they will wait for sales say they will spend more ($439) than those saying they will pay full price for gifts ($402) for the first time.
Shoppers saying they will use the Internet to purchase gifts will spend on average $641, compared to $536 in 2008, an increase of nearly 20%.
Shoppers saying they will wait for sales will spend on average $439, compared to $382 in 2008, an increase of nearly 15%.

Bloggers who are fully or somewhat Scrooge-like (39%) are more likely to be ostracized from & critisized by their blogging peers, than those Bloggers (61%) who love the season.

Hmmm.....

FREE Christmas Graphics Images

For all your holiday crafting, decorating, giving....LPxo (Just click to enlarge, save or print)

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 6

Grabby Entertaining. (no, I didn't mean 'crabby', I actually said 'grabby') See, I'm not the only one having 'scrooge like tendencies' this year. It seems that Grabby Entertaining is becoming the norm. The economic mindset has transformed the way many people entertain today. Long gone is the 'just bring yourself' wink & hug - now it's 'would you mind bringing a bottle of wine or two, some beer, a cool appetizer, a salad and a dessert for the buffet table'. Yes. Hosts everywhere are getting awfully 'grabby'. I mean 'crabby'.

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 5

That's the best part of Christmas. Gin and Tonic. Several of them. Or how about Gin and Tonic Cupcakes for your holiday buffet? (do you remember my Gin and Tonic house?)

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 4

Let the record show that Friday, December 4th was the first day of snow here in the beach for 2009. A very light dusting by Canadian standards, but fluffy white shapes, none the less. It is on these crisp bay mornings that I discover the bounty of my 'Holiday Letter Plant'. Do you have one? They are easy to propagate, split and share with your neighbours. It was with great anticipation; slipping on my winter boots, Bedouin scarf and faux fur coat - finding the plant alive with freshly bloomed peppermint letters. There for the picking. Slightly swaying in the sun-kissed breeze. The gentle harvest began. Just enough for a lovely bouquet.

Footnote: I guess I'm not the only blogger out there with 'Christmas Dread'. Hmmm....

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 3

Some day there may be 'the fall of the mall' or the 'collapse of Walmart', but until then - most of us probably won't be receiving incredibly unique gifts for Christmas. Like having an artist come into our bathroom to paint our soak, our parts, our privacy. (Corine introduced me to Gretchen.) Or how about a sleigh-ride with friends with hot chocolate and fresh (real) whipped cream? Another thoughtful present? One full day of organizing a loved one's bedroom closet or half-day of washing floors and polishing silver. We could offer amateur manicures and facials and foot massages. I'd love to see more gifts of service, for service to many leads to riches. Instead, suffer with mass-produced, chemical-laden cosmetic palettes made and packaged in Asia or jewelry tied together in factories far, far away. Where oh where is that artist who will paint my watery soapy, scented ritual - for I believe the 'art of giving art' and the 'art of serving' are best.

Modern Day Scrooge Chapter 2

What is the soundtrack of your Christmas like? What's on your playlist? Winter Wonderland happens to be my favorite and Elvis must go. Do your holiday cd's change when you find out he's been sleeping with another (1, 2 or 3) woman? Do you take the damn $300 putter back to the store or do you beat the crap out of his face (with it) after you've confronted him. This is just one more reason to detest Christmas: All the fakery that comes with it. Ah, the perfect marriage, relationship - promises shattered, all wrapped up in glittery paper and bow. (just for appearances sake or 'for the children') There is agony in a day-long false facade performance. It runs from Christmas Eve until Boxing Day, when thankfully you can't get the hell out of the house and blow off some pent up steam with your already maxed-out credit cards. You may even start smoking again and, by the time you get home, you realize (duh) that he is after all worth $1 Billion dollars. Might as well stay and play charades all over again next year. Mute the jingle music. Press the 'stop' button now.

Modern Day Scrooge 'Footnote'

This ongoing blog series is a tribute to the classic 'A Christmas Carol'. (you can buy the book here or read it online here) The posts are meant to be negative and blah blah blah humbug holidayish. Don't worry, there's a happy ending. Have the faith. Stick with me on this. LP xo