We don’t go overboard with presents at Christmas. We keep it pretty simple. Greg and I have reached an age where there isn’t much that we need, and our wants are pretty modest. But we still enjoy exchanging gifts with each other and with our son and future DIL.

Greg got me, among other things, a new bobbin for my Lendrum folding wheel. Yay! Knitters and spinners love getting knitterly and spinnerly gifts. I also got a WEBS gift card from Emily’s mom. Yep, she’s a keeper, too.

Emily gave me a book, A Tale for the Time Being,

The gnome is a world class photo-bomber.

which I haven’t started reading yet. I’m certain I will love it because Emily chooses books with care. Last year she gave me The Round House by Louise Erdrich, which was outstanding. I really loved it. It was a mix of mystery/detective story, literary fiction, and coming-of-age. The story was at times disturbing, at times deeply moving, at times quite humorous; and at all times it was beautifully written. I am quite certain I will love the new book every bit as much.

James really outdid himself this year. Last year he gave me a Pittsburgh Penguins Pillow Pet, which I adore. This year he gave me a fabulous Pittsburgh Penguins coffee mug,

Mug from my son next to the gnome from Emily’s mom

and two beautiful, handcrafted alpaca scarves from Peru along with two handcrafted finger puppets.

The hand knitted scarf (left) matches my brown suede jacket perfectly, and the gray handwoven scarf (right) looks fabulous with my black blazer and black coat.

A bear and a llama. Aren’t they adorable?

Alpaca is very soft and warm, and I will think of James every time I wear these scarves. Perfect!