I don’t have an extraordinary amount of fruitcakes on hand, but nonetheless, for once I’d like to sell out.  Then people would learn to order more, and earlier, next year.  This is hard to do, of course, but I was cautiously optimistic about the double-header of promised media: a mention in the gift section of Savour Magazine, and an interview on Shaw Cable.

As it turns out, the winter issue of Savour Magazine doesn’t hit newsstands until tomorrow, December 20th.  Most women have bought their Christmas gifts by now, and few men probably browse Savour, so I can only hope it’ll catch women’s attention for next year.

However, it’s a beautiful-looking magazine that lies for months in hotel rooms around the Okanagan.  So I have to remain optimistic that tourists will browse the winter issue and see my bark and fruitcakes.

I have no idea when the Shaw Cable interview will be out.  They filmed on December 8th, and when they left, I asked if it would be on the next week, and Tamie said it would.  However, now it’s been 11 days and no sign of it.  I was kind of hoping that would drive my final sales.  Sigh.

So I guess you can see why a person would be in a vile mood.  I still have some miscellaneous bits of shopping to do for mom’s guests, which buoys my spirits a bit.  You may recall that I was assigned to get gifts on her behalf, and I’ve been working my way through that.

I find if you shop at the right time, Christmas shopping is a breeze.  The other day I went into Chapters at 8:00 AM, and there were two clerks standing there.  Over the year I had kept book reviews of titles I thought people would like, so had them with me.

I went to one of the clerks, and had him run the title through the computer, and print the little tag that shows where it is in the store.  He then handed it to the other clerk, who ran to get it.  This continued until I had all of my books, then I went to the counter, and paid.  I left in about ten minutes with all of my books bought, not a calorie spent.

I’ve been baking the usual Christmas cookies, which I enjoy immensely.  I hope one of the new recipes I’m trying turns out, because it’s also an old German cookie recipe.  They’re anise cookies, and called Springerle in German.

Aside from that, I managed to write a couple of Christmas letters to my dear relatives in Germany who were so kind to Nicky and me when we were there in 2009.  It’s good for me to practice my German, however painful it may be for them to read it.

I don’t want to be like the Grinch, with only three words to describe him: “Stink, Stank, Stunk,” so am going to get out of this bad mood immediately.  I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas, and a very happy time with those you love.