Wednesday, December 17, 2025
It’s Hodgepodge Day with Joyce! Here we go! We will be on a Hodgepodge break until December 31st, by the way. I am also going to take a short bloggy break that I will tell you about.
1. What’s one thing on your to-do list that you want to get done, need to get done, or that must get done before the year ends?
Nothing! I have a little more shopping to do but I am not stressed about it. I have to do the wrapping. Do you wrap stocking stuffers? I wrap some and leave some naked. I need to plan food and put it in my Kroger app. I realistically have two or three more Kroger pickups before it’s all said and done. I like to declutter before Christmas, and I have done ok with that. I could do more.
This is my first year NOT working in the crazy weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas and honestly, I am not sure how I did it all for so many years.
It’s been nice to be able to shop on a weekday morning. I almost always saved one personal day to do this when I was teaching or combined it with an appointment.
2. December 17th is National Maple Syrup Day…are you a fan? Do you like maple flavor in other food items such as candy, cookies, donuts, oatmeal, hot toddies, coffee?
I like it but I don’t go crazy about it. I actually like a bourbon drink called a Maple Leaf or Canadian Maple Leaf with bourbon, maple syrup, and a touch of lemon juice.
3. Time magazine names a person of the year every year. The tradition started back in 1927 with a ‘man of the year’ but has since changed to recognize not only an individual, but also to consider the impact of a group, movement, or idea that most influenced the year. The selection is not always someone or something good (think Hitler in 1938 and Stalin twice).
This year they’ve named The AI Architects as their ‘person of the year’. What say you? Is this a good choice, an obvious choice, a logical choice? Who do you think should have been named person of the year?
I don’t know. I had to look up what that even means and I found “the creative force during the planning and implementation of AI initiatives”. I think AI is already so integrated into our daily lives and we probably don’t realize just to what extent it is at play. I had an idea to “live like the 90s” one day and see how I did.
4. What’s a city, state, or country you’ve visited that you never care to visit again? Tell us why.
This is a hard one. I think I am glad for the opportunity to visit any place I’ve gone. I love Michigan in the summer. I think it’s underrated. I probably don’t care to go back to Panama City Beach. I probably don’t care to go back to Myrtle Beach. I feel like both of those places became too touristy and I could see airbrushed t-shirts everywhere I turned? No offense to anyone who likes airbrushing. Honestly, I would go to those places and not turn my nose up at putting my feet in the sand and water.
5. Next Sunday (December 21st) marks the first day of winter (or the opposite if you’re living down under). What’s one thing you love about this new season?
I feel like it’s already been winter for so long already, so this is hard to answer! My favorite thing used to be a snow day! Now, I guess I would say the absence of lawn mower and leaf blower noise.
6. Insert your own random thought here.
I feel like it was just Thanksgiving last week! Time has flown! How is it already December 17th?
Amy
Coffee and Cocktails at the Casa 
I am glad that you are getting leaf blowing noise reprieve! I cannot believe how much you have to listen to that. I don´t see how working moms get ready for Christmas year after year. And some don´t get several days off before Christmas and after. It´s been challenging for me this year and my kids aren´t small and I´ve had days off here and there. So kuddos to for doing it for so many years! You deserve weekday morning shopping :).
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Ms. Scott,
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Your nice reply to my last comment made me very happy and I felt prideful. I bragged with my students about my “new friend” in America.
I still look forward to reading your blog every night. I don’t drink but I think 6pm is my Happy Hour!
I hope I don’t creeping you but if I have opportunity to meet you, I made Christmas gift list in my head. (I have a very long commute and these are the silly things I do to kill time and for entertainment. Please don’t think I’m stalk you!)
Luxury: Tiffany Large Link Earrings in silver because you look very cheerful in your big earrings and I think silver matches your energetic/outgoing personality (In Japan, big earrings are not very common so I envy you with big personality and confidence to match big earrings!)
Practical: Japan Starbucks coffee mug (maybe Kyoto version because it screams “Japan”.)
Fun: all the canned and bottled coffee we sell in Japan so you can taste our coffee and compare with American brands.
Beauty: Mikimoto Pearl (very famous pearl brand in Japan) Shampoo and Conditioner (but I worry my hair texture is not the same as yours. In this case, I want to gift you Panasonic hairdryer which blows nanoe (?) mist while drying hair to give hair moisture. Also, it automatically adjust temperature and how windy it is dependent of how hot and how humid your atmosphere is. In addition, I think Dyson is too heavy and so hot and too blasty-windy for me!)
Home: vintage Kimono obi (the belt) to be used maybe for table runner (in a warm orange-red color called Beni with gold thread designs. Beni is very traditional Japanese color used for celebrations.)
Patio: Seo Rain Chain rain chain (I want to give you more beautiful feeling on your patio!)
Bonus for Eddie-O. (in my mind, I always call him Eddie-O. like your iconic Cheerio cereal): a big sushi or ramen stuffie like the one he has of his loving lamb. Also, this is not topic, but when I see photo of Eddie-O. sitting on Mr. Scott’s legs, I think of Cliffer (?) The Big Red Dog!
This is a very long comment and I know with bad English. Thank you for your time reading because I know you have many fans to read!
I just wanted to express my thank you for being a fun and consistent end-of-my-day gift everyday! I know you are passionate Spanish teacher but you are my English teacher and I appreciate your real everyday normal American lifestyle life that you share with me. (I say normal with very much respect!) You are dynamic American but I find Japanese familiarity and comfortable with you! Thank you.
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Hello YA!
This is the sweetest list. Stay tuned because I might be able to make something happen.
Your English is excellent. Please tell them that an American Spanish teacher said so! Ha! I also think you know many slang terms and that is amazing.
You have some fancy gifts for me. I am going to look them up and see what I think and what the price tag is.
I could find a Tiffany dupe!
You know I love my Starbuck’s mugs! The Kyoto mug is so pretty! I can get it for $95!
Eddie-O is like Clifford! Ha!
You are so welcome and so sweet to say this. I am sorry for your long commute but you have put it to good use and found your own amusement.
I am intrigued and have great respect for the Japanese culture. I watched Love is Blind Japan.
It is so wonderful to have blog friends around the world!
Merry Christmas!
Amy
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I never have wrapped stocking stuffers but this year I did wrap most of them. Mostly because the boys have so few presents and I wanted to make Christmas morning last just a bit longer. I noticed this weekend that the ice augers used for ice fishing sound an awful lot like leaf blowers…. probably because they were ice fishing in our cove at 6 am on a Sunday! Typically the ice fisherman are nowhere near our house so I don’t really hear or notice them. All I could think was that I thought I’d get a break from all that noise now that winter is here… but I guess not!
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I think a lot of us answered the same about maple syrup. We don’t mind it, but we don’t go crazy for it, either. I agree about you doing it all while working full time! I don’t know how you did it; I’d be much further behind if I hadn’t started early and done most of it online. I was up at 4 something this morning ordering something for Drew as a surprise. He and I are going shopping together tonight; I can’t wait! I thought about you in my answer to Winter…I wonder if you’ll hate January this year? Maybe I will, since I’ll be at school? It’ll be interesting to find out, for sure.
Happy Wednesday to you, my friend. xoxo
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The season has flown by but my favorite days are the ones leading up to Christmas. I love being off of work and shopping for nothing in particular. Everyone is excited and happy and I just love that!
xo,
Kellyann
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So interesting how your holiday season schedule has changed from last year. I still work, but not full time like I did in a corporate world setting 6 years ago. I look back a lot and think how did I do that schedule year round and still cook and clean for my family. I am glad you have some more down time this season after your year. Maybe we can talk before the holiday!
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when I was teaching I used to take my Dec 9 birthday as a personal day and did all my shopping for my daughters on that day. Those were crazy hectic days but I wouldn’t redo a thing! I do have to say I’m glad I’m retired now and that there’s online shopping.
I love winter for so many reasons (i live in eastern NYS) but by the end of February i am SO done with it. hahah
I’m all set for Xmas minus 2 gifts that supposedly will be delivered sometime this week.
I used to wrap certain stocking stuffers when the girls were younger than 12. Now we do not. Stockings are a huge tradition in our home.
Merry Christmas!!
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That is perfect! I agree!
I am so done by February and salivating over the spring clothing.
That’s great!
Yeah – I feel like I wrap less now.
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I started wrapping the stocking stuffers and then thought life is too short for this so they’re naked. lol
I love the sound of that drink.
It does seem like it has been winter for so long already. Time really has flown by!
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I agree on the time flying- it seems this holiday season went by so much faster than others! Glad to read you are done with everything- one of the bennies of retirement right? Always love your throwback pics too!
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We always leave our stocking stuffers unwrapped. I never thought about wrapping them. I don’t know how you did everything when you were working. You were a very busy lady! I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been to the store lately, and I haven’t even cooked anything yet! I’m hoping one more trip tomorrow and then I’ll be ready for anything! (Ha, ha – it’s not like I can’t send someone to the store or go myself during Christmas week.)
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I wrap very fast and not too pretty for the stocking. lol. I’m not sure, to be honest.
I don’t have to be ready for any meals this weekend so I am pretty relaxed right now. I am taking my time in deciding what we will have.
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We use the term stocking stuffer rather loosely here as many of our gifts don’t fit in the stockings. I tend to wrap most of them. I am finally finished shopping and hubs helped finish the wrapping today so whoohoo! I do have a couple more packages arriving tomorrow but other than that, just enjoying some down time. I did the grocery run for the weekend today so feeling good about it all at the moment. We used to go to Myrtle Beach in college, and I think it was pretty touristy even then. We prefer Hilton Head, and especially love Kiawah. I’ve never been to Michigan but it’s on my list. Have a great rest of the week!
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Ah. We wrap anything not in the stocking and kind of do half and half wrapping within the stocking. We have pretty big stockings. Your hub will get in there and do it all! Love that! I have my order started on the app but I have to make some final decisions on meals. I’m not stressed about it. Kroger is literally less than a mile away. I am sure I will do 2-3 pick ups and maybe also have to go in.
You would love Michigan. There are some really cute beach towns. Saugatuck, South Haven – but you are limited and need to go in June-September probably.
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I usually take a day off in December to finish shopping and wrap presents. I didn’t have to do that this year thanks to the snow days. Haha
Your airbrush comment made me LOL.
My brother and I have a running joke because I kind of felt similar way about Myrtle beach and now north Myrtle has become more popular and less touristy I think. So he will talk about north Myrtle beach just so I roll my eyes haha
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