As a mom all my brains have turned to mush and I can barely remember what I had for breakfast let alone the wonderful gifts I've received over the years. (Ok, ok, my all-time favorite gift is my silhouette necklace of my son—it captures his fat cheeks and curls, forever frozen in time) So, I asked my young interns to come up with their favorite gifts (see below.) I'd love to hear from you all as well. Coming later—the best gift they ever gave. —JED

As a fairly indecisive person, picking a favorite anything is never an easy task for me. With the exception of favorite movie (Love, Actually of course!), I can barely name my top 3, let alone all-time favorite. So when Janelle asked us to choose our all-time favorite Christmas gift, she was greeted by a blank stare coming from my direction on the other side of her desk. Choosing my favorite Christmas gift ever received seemed, at first, like an impossible task. Sure, I’ve gotten some cool, exciting gifts throughout my 23 years. There was the karaoke machine when I was in elementary school (which I’m sure my mother eventually regretted), new Mission hockey skates back when I played ice hockey (yes, I’m serious), a Sega Genesis, even my GPS!  Still, nothing jumped out in my memory as a clear-cut winner. So, I’m afraid I have to take the boring route and go with the gift that, as I recall, made me the most excited at the time, and which I ended up getting the most use out of: my first computer. It was the Christmas of 2001. I was in ninth grade at the time, and the closest thing I had ever had to a modern-day computer was an old school Apple word processor (its only known function being the ability to play a wicked...

your annoying friend that loves to work out.

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So, I managed to make it to Merry Mart on Sunday. It was a little smaller than last year (no upstairs) but the vendors all seemed happy. I always like to see what these tables have: Pellinore Press, Pinkkiss Pottery, Lola Miren, Red Prairie Press, and Jill Popowich. But I also found some new faves: Design By Night, Chocolaterra, and Mark Supik & Co. One woman could not believe the price for a handmade necklace at the Tu Vida table. (As in she was very happy.) And artist Shawn Theron (SOGH) greets everyone like a lost friend. So, where did you end up? Anyone pop over to the pop up shops? Two more great holiday shows this coming weekend—so stay tuned. —JED