Category Archives: Community

March 22, 2022 · 3:15 pm

Surviving Tornadoes

Just finished assessing my trees after the tornadoes in the Austin, TX area last night. The supercenter all over the news is the one near our house. We were at that Home Depot just a couple hours before the tornadoes came. My daughter needed paint sealant and I needed to mail a package.

My trees are old-growth, 2-3+ stories tall. One of the live oak clusters is suspected to be 2-300 years old, and our house was designed around it. There are 20+ trees on our city lot. One of the features that drew John and me to this place. This neighborhood was built around the trees in the 70s–they didn’t clear-cut them.

One of my cedar elms near the street has had a broken branch caught in its top since the polar vortex storms last year. I haven’t tried to get it down yet. Well, it’s gone now. And the top was snapped off another tree.

In the meantime, absolutely NO debris on our streets within a couple of blocks of our house. No twigs, no gravel–nothing. The roads look vacuumed and washed.

I saw the wind change in the rain yesterday–when it took on a pulse in its blustering. The rain and wind were so hard that they created a sheet that looked like a wall. I’m used to that. Spring storms here are like that. And when the wind is really blowing, the rain turns sideways. We see that sort of thing when the hurricanes come inland through our area–sideways rain. Not really a surprising thing.

But then it turned different. The rain started pulsing as it rained sideways. It looked like morse code pulsing in the sideways blowing rain. Like smoke signals in a drumbeat that you could see in the sideways rain–as if you could see the sound.

But it stopped about as quickly as it started.

I also found bits of insulation in the backyard. I thought it was feathers floating out of the trees, but it wasn’t. Looking up into my trees, there may be some debris caught in them.

After my experiences surviving tornadoes in OK and TX, I have sober respect for them. I’m also familiar with many other stories through the Red Cross, back when mom provided disaster relief training in OK and as her classroom assistant, I’d watched every training film available.

Our house was damaged but passed over by a tornado when I was 7 years old. An event called “Terrible Tuesday.” Our house stood while our neighbors’ on every side weren’t as lucky.

I’ve never forgotten what that was like, the damage, or how long it took our family to recover.

I think a tornado passed over our house yesterday. And I’m so grateful.

2 Comments

Filed under Austin, Community, Friends and Family, It's An Aberrant Life, Random Thoughts

Tagged as tornadoes

April 8, 2020 · 7:58 am

What Hope…?

A couple of days ago, a brain cancer charity let me know that I am one of the top 10 influencers on Twitter for brain cancer. The data measurement is done through a service that serves the healthcare industry only.

I haven’t known how to feel about it. I mainly share studies and medical articles aimed at treatment for Glioblastoma. As is logical.

I used to be one of the top 20 influencers in crochet, but… that’s another story.

As I read the note, I was teary-eyed. My son was in the room when I read the note, and he queried the look on my face.

I don’t know how to feel, and I’m kinda sad, I said. I can barely do what I do. I don’t have any resources, and I can’t create a charity or foundation yet. Brain cancer patients suffer so much for lack of research funding.

And here, I make the rank of top influencer on Twitter.

What hope is there for a cure if *I* make the top 10? Because I have not yet been able to do much. I don’t have time to network or chat. I cannot unleash my full dedication to move mountains, create a foundation and find a way to help. All I can do is share links to studies. I don’t even have the bandwidth to write much about it.

And my son said, “Excuse me? What do you mean, what hope? With everything you’ve been through, even while working as hard as you do, you still manage to help. Something good is born. The willpower to make a difference with literally nothing but your determination to do so. You demonstrate the difference that a single person can make, even with nothing. To be an influence for good in the world. And if that isn’t hope, I don’t know what is.”

A second revelation dawned as I felt the truth in his words.

Even one imperfect voice can matter.

I love that kid of mine. And sometimes, he has me in awe.

—
April 8, 2020
7:10am

1 Comment

Filed under Community, Friends and Family, Glioblastoma, Grief, Random Thoughts, Writing

Tagged as Glioblastoma

May 1, 2019 · 11:25 pm

Roses – Pins for a Cause…

In honor of John’s fight against Glioblastoma and for Brain Cancer Awareness Month, our daughter Jack has designed a “Charity Rose” enamel pin to help raise funds for brain cancer research and awareness.

She is donating all profits to the Dr. Marnie Rose Foundation, which is one of the only foundations that raise money for brain cancer research. Many thanks to Mrs. Rose and Little Matt’s for their support and encouragement along the way as Jack’s vision for this project took shape.

John’s favorite flower was the red rose, so it is fitting that this first dedicated pin be a rose. Jack designed both a red rose and a special grey rose for Brain Cancer Awareness Month. It all started with her drawings, which she then modeled into the many necessary digital files that only she knows how to do.

It is a beautiful design, manufactured in high-quality materials, partnered through one of the most notable pin design companies in the US – and worthy of attention.

There are 150 roses in this first run. Please help Jack reach her fundraising goal and spread the word? If ever there was a cause that I’d appreciate your help with promoting, this is one of them. Thank you for helping her make this work.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/689262850/charity-rose-enamel-pin-brain-cancer

Making Time For Social…

Like most artists and artisans, I’m not a full-time artist. I have other jobs to do, other responsibilities and hats I don. And I have to balance family and work life too.

Making time to blog and to continue the social conversations begun within my niche community is a challenge sometimes. Sometimes we’re out of ideas. Sometimes we’re self-conscious. Sometimes life becomes an emergency. Sometimes we are buried in other concerns and forget that our world is now no longer simply physical, but digital too.

It’s easy to let digital anything fall by the wayside when other parts of life get demanding. It’s also easy to think of blogging for our businesses as an extra, or luxury. But the world of marketing and communication today has evolved into something new. And that new is the digital social landscape. Especially if you don’t own a brick and mortar store front, and you want to stay in business; seriously it’s not a luxury to skip out on social – it’s a need that will break you if you don’t satisfy it.

So how do you move past the hurdles and unfreeze yourself and your message? How do you breathe life back into your blog and your social communities if you’ve neglected them awhile?

1) Forgive yourself. Stop the should haves and just get to it. As artists, it’s easy to beat ourselves up for not being more left-brained about what we do when it comes to marketing. And it doesn’t do a thing to serve us.

2) Routines. If working on social media interactions and blogging every day is too much, then scale back. Don’t promise the moon to your followers and then not deliver. Set the expectations that they can count on and then deliver. Keep investing in the conversation.

3) Give the best you can give when you deliver. Quality, engaging content and conversation will carry you when you find that you are short on time. (But don’t over think it and freeze back up because the word “quality” caught you.) Be genuine.

4) When ideas come, keep notes. Write a rough draft or queue up a title for future consideration. Save a list of links for research. Baby steps will help you be prepared when you sit down to create. Really, I view this as no different from my 50+ unfinished crochet projects – all filed away, that I may grab one at anytime to finish up as I feel moved or need inspiration. Only in this case, I also have a 50+ queue of writing and conversation ideas.

5) Stay active socially. I can’t emphasize enough how important this is. I don’t have to blog every day or even every week to keep people coming to my site. But I do need to care. I do need to interact. I should be involved with my niches and my communities. And I should generate quality evergreen content on my site that aims at helping the people in my community whom I’m already engaging with.

What evergreen content should that be, you might wonder? For me, that evergreen content reveals itself as I stay engaged with my community and listen to what that community needs. When I pour care and effort into my social media relationships within my community, and reflect that care into my blog (even when I go through dry writing spells), people who want/need my help will come to find me pretty regularly. But I have to stay active in the social side.

How about you? What are your tips on how to re-engage?

1 Comment

Filed under Business, Community, Crochet Community, NaBloPoMo, Social Media

August 10, 2011 · 8:18 am

Crochet At Cama 2010 Memories

4 Comments

Filed under Community, crochet, Crochet Community, Crochet Education, Events

Tagged as cama beach, crochet, Crochet Liberation Front, retreat

April 14, 2011 · 9:27 pm

The 2011 Flamies Crochet Awards Live in Georgetown, TX!

The Crochet Liberation Front’s Annual Flamies Crochet Awards are coming live to Georgetown, TX April 18th, with classes from Crochet Liberation Front founder, Laurie Wheeler and designer Karen Whooley in the Austin area all weekend. This is part of what’s been keeping me busy lately! 😀 I’m really excited! Some of you are probably going to wonder what all this is about, so I’ll try to explain and tell a bit of the story. Go to http://CrochetLiberationFront.com to register for the event though!

What on earth did Julia get involved with?

Well, here’s the back story – as told by me!

If you’re here, then you already know I’m a crochet designer/artist. My main work is in the arena of One of a Kinds (OOAK). And though each year I tend to make mainly what I’m asked to (more hats than anything else), I don’t really align myself with any one specific crochet medium either. Clothing, throws, jewelry, miniature, free-form or tapestry crochet (not to mention my fascination for spider webs and love of hook carving) – whatever catches my whim is what I work on.

I have one main rule, that crochet is a love for me and it’s gotta stay fun, because honestly, that’s where the creativity comes in. If my heart and passion isn’t in it, then frankly, it won’t be nearly as good and I don’t want to burn out on something that I find largely meditative and expressive. It’s one of the few escapes I can take with me just about anywhere. So no – I don’t really want to lose that. The fact that my crochet creations ever turned into something people were interested in buying was a complete surprise to me and as far as I’m concerned it’s a bonus. Like any art, you have to do it for love, in spite of everything else. I crochet whether anyone buys it or whether I donate it for cancer or not, and so if someone loves what I make enough to buy it, kudos to me for being able to justify my obsessions. I say we all have a “madness” or two of some sort, and crochet just happens to be one of mine. All that being said, no where in all my talk about loving the creative process am I supporting under-valuing one’s work, time or expertise. Better believe I charge for my skill and time. I’ll save more about this sad occurrence of under-valuation for a future blog post.

“What is the Crochet Liberation Front – some sort of hook wielding terrorist organization?”

I hear such comments from time to time when I mention The Crochet Liberation Front. And I just chuckle, because it’s nothing of the sort and all in fun.

There was a time it would never have occurred to me to look for crocheters online. Largely because I’m not a joiner by nature. Oh I’m social, but just not into memberships and clubs much. I spent a lot of time at shows lecturing and demoing about crochet and expanding the horizons of the masses when it came to the possibilities of crochet. Some of you met me that way. Maker Faire Austin was my absolute favorite experience, setting up a nook for kids and adults to just hang out to learn and crochet or finger knit with each other. I was there both years it came to Austin and really missed it when it couldn’t come back. That perfectly suited my personality, being absorbed by the simple joy of making. No labels, no judgments, no “right” way. (I’m really not into drama and politics. As far as I’m concerned it gets in the way of true creative joy.)

However, three years ago I found a group that worked for my individualistic personality. I became a member of the Crochet Liberation Front (CLF) about six months after it began, helping to promote and preserve the last fiber art left that cannot be replicated by machine. They shared the same passion for innovation and preservation I already had and I found friendly camaraderie without expectation or labels. I had spent a lot of time feeling like a lonely voice when it came to education and pushing the boundaries of expectations in crochet. It was amazing to find others “like me.” How could I not?

At its heart and intention, the CLF is a bunch of crocheters who just want to have fun, complete with a sense of humor to go along with it. We do however seek to broaden the horizons in our industry, and promote the beauty and innovation present everywhere in crochet. Many of us have felt general dissatisfaction with attitudes, industry dynamics, treatment of crochet designers and patterns available, especially in the US. I’m not super in touch with the common industry at large because it usually fails to supply much of anything innovative, technical or unusual enough for my tastes. Not to mention the fact that I do not use patterns. And besides, after all, I AM Aberrant Crochet and it wouldn’t be much in keeping with my personality to be keeping step with the Jones. That makes me a little different, because personally, if everyone else is doing it, I’m much less interested. Even if I started it. Seriously, if the world starts obsessing over crochet spider webs, I will be the first to lose interest.

However, all that being said, even I have noticed what seems to me an odd perception that crochet is only beautiful if it’s from somewhere else, like Russia. As if the only thing that exists in the US are granny squares, shawls and doilies. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very healthy respect for the history of crochet and its development. And granny squares, etc. can be awesome. However there is so much more to our fiber art. And I know I don’t appreciate being pigeon-holed as to what my art is supposed to look like. If you’ve seen photos of my work, you can totally get where I’m coming from. I’m pretty proud of the fact that customers at shows so often marvel at my creations and the fact that they never thought crochet “could look or feel that way.” Education at its finest!

Die-hard crocheters seek to preserve this art and promote its continued genius and development. Crochet is the very last fiber art left that cannot be replicated by machine. At all. Not one iota (yet). I kid you not. Google “crochet machine” and you will find machines made in China that knit a chain, but they use the term “crochet” interchangeably. However, crochet is purely and always created by a hand and a hook. No machines. There is always a cap on just how much one pair of hands can create at any one time. Even that mass produced crochet you see at the store? All of it was created with a human hand and a hook, and all too often by children. (I’ll save the subject of repetitive motion injuries in children for yet another blog post.) You can see a bit of where our passion for our craft comes from.

OK, what’s the deal about the “Flamies?” How does that fit in with crochet? Did it simply catch fire?

“The Flamies” are a grass-roots (I almost typed a grass-fire!) style annual crochet awards that we started some three years ago, and their popularity has grown by leaps and bounds. The CLF itself was started somewhat as a joke by Laurie Wheeler (we call her Fearless Leader), looking to provide a fun home for crocheters around the world to commune, talk shop and celebrate crochet. Something different and outside of the usual boxes available to folks out there. And BOY do we have fun! Well, the group took off. And not too long after, due to disenchantment with the yarn industry’s lack of support or celebration for innovative crochet (in the US in particular), it was decided to create our own awards – the Flamies.

The Flamies, you ask? Umm, yeah. Kind of a long story, but it’s a reference to the Flaming Crochet Hook of Justice, which has been waved liberally over the years. And yes – the Flamies are a nod of fun to the Emmys and Grammys as well. In fact, my tapestry crochet charted pattern for my Flaming Crochet Hook design was published in the Crochet Liberation Front: First Ever Book.

Long story short, a bunch of us decided to stop waiting for the industry to provide what we wanted and we began creating it ourselves. We even created our own crochet awards. And you know what happened? IT TOOK OFF! Today, yarn companies, magazines and designers are competing for the Flamie crochet awards and this year a whopping 30,000+ turned out for voting! The winners will be announced live this year! Talk about becoming the change that you seek in the world!

The Landmark Tavern – Georgetown, TX

The event? It’s happening a bit on the fly, but the Flamies are coming LIVE to Georgetown on Monday, April 18th. The editor of Interweave Crochet magazine, and designers from both coasts are flying in for this event, including Mary Beth Temple from Getty Loopy, along with Fearless Leader kicking off her US Tour here in Texas! Nothing like this has ever been done in our niche industry before. It might be just crochet to everyone else, but this is big for us!

Tickets are being sold to the live event held at the Landmark Tavern, (wonderful neighborhood wine bar) on the Georgetown Square where we will have a red-carpet event with photographers, April 18th 7-11pm. And I’m so lucky it’s right here practically in my own back yard. If you want to come and hang out with crochet creative types (you don’t have to crochet, but you must be friendly), it’s $25 a ticket which includes a drink ticket and snacks.

This is a semi-formal event! Wear your best crochet if you have it! If not, wear your favorite fiber thing! We’ll be walking the red carpet at The Landmark, so it’s a chance to dress-up. Businesses also have the opportunity to buy tickets to this events in blocks. For a minimum of 5 tickets, the price drops to $20 per ticket. Go to http://CrochetLiberationFront.com for more details on registration for the event and about the CLF in general.

I hope we’ll see you there!

Calendar of Weekend Events:

April 16: 11am‐ 2pm Meet & Greet in Georgetown, Texas at Dukes BBQ (right on north bound I35): This is a family friendly event, free for crocheters to attend to meet up, admire each others’ crochet and organize local meetings and relationships. We’re expecting a lot of people to attend this event.

April 16: 7‐9pm Fearless Leader & Friend’s soiree at The Knitting Nest in Austin, Texas. A more adult evening of wine and song. Promoting all that is crochet in one of the leading yarn destinations in Texas. So far at least 25 people confirmed.

April 18: 7‐11pm The Flamies LIVE! Red carpet event in Georgetown, Texas at the Landmark Tavern (a gorgeous wine bar). This year’s awards ceremony will take place as per tradition on the Getting Loopy Podcast with Mary Beth Temple, and at the live event which will be web cast so the millions of crochet fanatics around the globe can see the best of the best! Party goers will receive a drinks ticket, nibbles, goody bags and prizes! We have room for 120 guests!

Go to http://CrochetLiberationFront.com for more details on registration for the event and about the CLF in general.

9 Comments

Filed under Community, crochet, Crochet News, Events

Tagged as Austin Texas, CLF, craft, crochet, Georgetown Texas, texas

December 13, 2010 · 4:13 pm

A Day of Knitting and Crocheting with Alpaca!

Photos from my visit to Peaceful Prairie Ranch an alpaca ranch in Prescott Valley, AZ.

I met Emily at Debra’s Christmas party at A Good Yarn and she invited me to tag along with the Prescott Knitters (Ravelry group) on Sunday to visit the alpaca farm. As I mentioned to folks along the way during my visit that I had new plans to visit an alpaca farm Sunday, I received a lot of incredulous replies along the line of: “There’s an alpaca farm in Prescott?! I didn’t know that!” Well, so I made a point of spreading the news. 😀

The Prescott Knitters Ravelry group was real friendly and an all round awesome group of folks. If you’re in the area, you can drop by and join their knit-ins (whether you knit or not) confident that you will have a great time! Trust me, whenever we go back, I’ll be checking to see what the Prescott Knitters are up to and working it into my schedule! Big hugs and thanks to Emily, Capi and the others who made sure I felt welcome. More about Capi and the gorgeous crochet hook she gave me later.

Wendy, the awesome owner of Peaceful Prairie ranch, carries roving for felting as well as spinning, as well as a lovely variety of spun fibers for knitting, crochet and whatever other crafts you might need yarn for. I’ve ordered what turned out to be bad baby alpaca before, which has left me shy to order any online ever again. In fact I still have a whole box of lace weight “baby” alpaca that feels like super thick rug yarn, and not at all something you’d want against your skin. I haven’t yet decided what to do with it, though I imagine I’ll get creative and come up with something.

But let me tell you, Peaceful Prairie’s alpaca products are top notch and after being able to listen to Wendy talk about her passion, see and feel the fibers, even in various stages, not to mention experience her top notch customer service, I’m convinced whole-heartedly in ordering from her online anytime! Her husband Dave was also cordial and helped make us all feel at home even while Wendy was busy.

Wendy also helped me purchase a gorgeous green baby alpaca with my credit card since I was there for a trip and not local. A little awkward since it needed to be done through Paypal, but she made it work so I could shop and I really wanted that green baby alpaca hank. It’s soooo super soft! I’ve included a photo of it here too. Whatever I make with it, I expect to be mine this time. I haven’t settled on what just yet. Leaning toward a cowl though. I’m really grateful and my experience with these lovely people only added to the pile of amazing things that became a part of my trip to Prescott.

Thanks y’all, from the bottom of my heart. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

3 Comments

Filed under Artist Information & Notes, Community, crochet

Tagged as alpaca, AZ, crochet, Prescott

December 11, 2010 · 2:11 pm

Enjoying a Crafty Party at A Good Yarn

Debra’s hosting a Christmas party at her store, A Good Yarn, in Prescott, AZ. We’re all enjoying knitting and crocheting together.

Here’s a photo of what I’m working on at the moment and you can see more photos of the shop and group below.

Debra has a new partner this year who carries weaving fibers and supplies. Carma runs the weaving portion. Her prices are awesome and the quality is fantastic. I’ve purchased some wonderful fibers from her by the ounce.

I just have to say that between my two trips to Prescott, AZ, my visits to A Good Yarn are among my favorites amongst the yarn stores that I have visited in my travels. Not only is everyone friendly, and I mean customers, staff and all, but she has an incredibly nice selection in my opinion of less than common fibers. And high quality fibers. And more fibers per foot of store space that I want to work with than most places I’ve walked into. And I love that she carries uncommon buttons too!

I have also overheard her on the phone with customers for private orders and such and just have to say, her and her partners’ customer service is just awesome. She’s really helpful, professional in all her dealings, obviously goes the extra mile and yet, her “knit pit” has the feel of visiting the comfort of someone’s home. There’s no fireplace, but I easily imagined one nearby while sitting on her couch and working along with everyone else. Cozy indeed!

If you’re in the area, definitely stop in and see Debra at A Good Yarn. Tell her you read about her on my blog and extend a healthy howdy from me.

A Good Yarn in Prescott, AZ

5 Comments

Filed under Artist Information & Notes, Community, crochet

Tagged as AZ, crochet, knitting, Prescott, yarn shops

May 4, 2010 · 6:21 am

Donations Needed for Local Hospital….

I’m helping to coordinate an effort to gather clothing for the emergency room at South Austin Hospital. They are mostly in need of men’s, but could use some women’s. Clothing often has to be cut off of the injured and especially when they are homeless, they are in need of donations to give patients a set of clothes to leave in. As their donation closet is currently fairly empty and the other night they had no shirt for someone in need, I decided to help. Size large or even some XL is best and fairly generic clothing is best, like jeans or sweat pants and t-shirts. And again, they need men’s clothing the most. Let me know if you want to help and let’s coordinate.

Thanks!

Blessings,
Jules

2 Comments

Filed under 'Tis the Season, Community

Tagged as clothing, donations, ER, homeless, hospital

December 7, 2009 · 9:25 am

When Someone Goes Beyond Courtesy to Kindness….

Yesterday was a busy day. I had a customer to meet to deliver two custom hats for. It was actually a bit of a drive for me. He was a return customer, though, and for that thanks, I was happy to meet him closer to his home. And I knew he was studying for finals all day as well, so it’d be hard for him to take off a lot of time just to pick up his order. Dear hubby kept the kids so I could take care of business. And besides, it gave me an excuse to go by Central Market.

When I got to the Starbucks we were to meet at, my customer was nowhere to be found and I hadn’t realized my cell phone was dead. To make matters worse, the cigarette lighter in my car is broken. (And I mean broken.) So there’s no way to charge my phone on the run.

So I talked to an employee at Starbucks to see if there was a phone I could borrow. He said they didn’t have a public phone, but to check out the AT&T store.

When I walked in to AT&T Mobility, down on the corner of 45th and Lamar, a sales support rep named Sajid Sanchez was there to greet me immediately. I explained that the folks at the coffee shop had sent me over to see if I could borrow a phone. He immediately said, “Sure! Use any demo phone on the walls.” I was grateful. Especially since I’d just realized that my customer’s number was actually a long distance number. Never matters on my cell phone, but would have mattered had I borrow a land line.

I managed to make my call. My customer was so busy studying that he forgot the time and said he’d be right over in a few minutes. I hung up relieved that I hadn’t driven 30 minutes just to turn around and go back home.

I thanked Mr. Sanchez for the loan of the phone and explained that I really did appreciate it since I was due to meet a customer and my own cell phone was dead. “Well,” he said, “What kind of phone is it? Perhaps we can charge it up for you here.”

I hesitated, wondering if this would turn into a hard sell to buy an AT&T phone. “Well,” I said, “It’s a Sprint phone….”

And that’s where Mr. Sanchez surprised me. “No matter, let’s see if we can try charging it anyway,” he said.

Mr. Sanchez proceeded to try several jacks around the store. Then he even raided through a box of oddball chargers they had stored away in a closet, trying out each one, looking to see if one of them might help charge up my phone a bit so I’d have a little juice at least for a little while. He was very polite and professional and not once did he say anything about buying a phone or switching my service.

In the end, there wasn’t a charger he could find to help me, and I needed to get back to the coffee shop to meet my customer. But I appreciated, none-the-less, that he went above and beyond. And I really don’t think it had anything to do with the season either.

I wasn’t even an AT&T customer. I’ve never had any cell service other than Sprint. But here was someone, even in a sales environment where time really can be money, who stopped and offered the time to see if he could help me out. With no strings attached. That to me really stands out. That’s the way business is supposed to be. When you focus on helping others, the rest just falls into place. And as a small business owner who knows a little something about sales, I really appreciate it too. So I went back over, after making my delivery, and asked Sajid for his business card so I could blog about his customer service and share this story with you.

So folks, if you might be in the need for a new phone or service, perhaps you might want to talk to Sajid Sanchez over at AT&T Mobility on the corner of 45th and Lamar in Austin, TX. I was very impressed with his professionalism and I’m sure you will be too. The main number there is: 512.879.8156.

Oh and hey, if you do decide to call or come by and check them out, please tell them that you read my blog post about Mr. Sanchez. I think his superiors ought to know they have a valuable employee. It would be a wonderful gift to him if you said a kind word on his behalf too.

So thanks again Mr. Sanchez – and Merry Christmas!