:::: A Twelve Day Journey To Christmas Day-

OR

Will Anita Marie Get Her Fiji Mermaid THIS Year?:::

Today

On

Day Nine

Anita Marie Wonders

Is It M-all It’s All Cracked Up To Be?

On my very long commute home from work we drove by a Mall surrounded by ice and snow.

It’s a very pretty Mall with an outdoor carousel just across the street in the Park.

It’s awesome, especially at night. 

But it was day and the snow- which is frozen on the sidewalk and in some places looks like a mini-mountain range- made me wonder:

Would I send my family into uncharted waters, dangerous situations for the gift at the top of my wish list- which in my case is

The Fiji Mermaid:

“Fifi”

is

:::gift from Cle:::

No.

I wouldn’t-

and my rapaciousness for my very own Monkey/Fish is boundless.

So as I watched Holiday Shoppers- some of them nearly hitting the icy deck with child and gifts in hand I thought:

I’d be oh so very happy to receive some Divinity Cookies or

a Homemade Pumpkin Pie

:::like what Jade Makes:::

Or a Collection of Thoughts and Ideas shared

the way Lori- 

a friend from

The Soul Food Cafe

Writers Group

 did

 HERE 

And socks I’d be over the moon for a pair of socks knitted by a woman

called

Shewolf

and if I had a friend

( and I do, fa-la-la-)

Who created a Calender that was designed to showcase the works of her friends?

I mean, who could NOT be very happy with something like that.

And the questions would come to me again-demanding an answer- would I send my friends and family into unsafe places to get me a Fiji Mermaid? Even though my heart will surely break to find that now-after 31+ years of asking my wonderful Monkey / Fish is again out in the world, somewhere without me?

When I think of that Dad stumbling over the ice and snow to get into the Mall with his three year old in tow- and you know if  Dad had slipped he  probably would have broken  BOTH of his arms to keep his child from hitting the deck-

or how I felt when I saw a woman slide and then catch herself against a bench- her head snapping back and her shopping bag clenched protectively to her chest

I think the answer is

HELL NO.

:::However::::

For one thing- for any one thing in the cases or lining the walls of

Ye Olde Curiousity Shoppe in Seattle?

Well.

There IS  my

birthday to think about.

a.m.