The holidays are a particularly exciting time of year, but the next few months thereafter still retain some of the gift-giving spirit as we get together with those we could not meet with at Yule. My high school's production of Arthur Miller's The Crucible ran Wednesday through Saturday of last week, and my dear Aunt C and her girlfriend came to see the show. We exchanged gifts with them at the same time, and I received a very fancy new camera (now maybe I can post pictures for all of you that aren't terrible) and a handmade "elf coat". She took pieces of old sweaters and created a somewhat Tim Burton-esque button-down piece. The hood is really long, almost down to the floor - that's it wrapped around my neck like a scarf.
Also after the holidays, I found myself left with a ridiculous number of Barnes and Noble giftcards, with which I bought almost a dozen new books. Most of these were fantasy (Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Jim Butcher, etc.), but I also made a purchase of Scott Cunningham's brilliant Crystal, Gem, and Metal Magic, which I consider to be a very comprehensive manual on the subject of working magic with minerals, as well as his Wicca: a Guide for the Solitary Practitioner which is just such a staple title for we Pagans that it seemed a crime I'd never had the opportunity to read it.
