XOXOX

Betty Boop is winking and throwing hugs and kisses from my socks. When I wore my Betty Boop Christmas socks, I wrote about how Betty Boop and Christmas just don’t seem to go together. However, it’s Valentine’s Day, and Betty is such a flirt. Who can imagine Heart Day without the iconic Miss Betty? She and Heart Day just go together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Soup and sandwich. Cookies and Girl Scouts. Hugs and kisses. X’s and O’s. Some things are meant for each other. Unlike Betty and Christmas, Betty and Valentine’s Day are a perfect match. This holiday brings up a lot of emotions in people. To some, it’s fulfilling, a chance to express to the one they love just how special they are. To others, it’s a reminder of what they don’t have. Cards, roses, stuffed animals, and chocolates in the stores and on TV are all constant visual assaults. And there’s another group of people, too, who are affected by this particular holiday. These are the people with their hearts on their sleeves, those brave souls who choose to declare themselves up to a new love and risk rejection or gain elation. Whether you have a love, are looking for love or have given up on love, I say adopt Betty Boop’s attitude. Flirt a little. Throw a kiss or two. Take a chance. Go a little big. Even if love doesn’t find you this year, hug someone else. You never know who might need a hug more than you do. Wine and cheese. Love and passion. Candy hearts and “Be Mine.” Betty Boop-Oop-a-Doop and pink lips on my left sock. Pink lips and Betty Boop-Oop-a-Doop on my right sock. Some things just go together. XOXOX

12/19 Pushing Snoopy

Dec 19 – I had my Snoopy socks on today, the ones that lost out to Betty Boop some days ago. In the past, I’ve wondered about Snoopy on that doghouse. How does he stay up there? Has he ever slid off the roof? I was wondering about it because my car slipped and slid on my way home from a meeting tonight. Coming to a stop at the bottom of hills was a challenge, to say the least. We’re in a period of freezing drizzle right now, which started during my meeting. It was just a thin sheath, but it was enough to make driving tricky business. While I don’t recommend driving in icy conditions, tomorrow morning, we’ll awaken to a shiny, crystal wonderland. Crystal is on my list of “favorite things to look at.” The subtle colors and sleek sheen play like a rainbow of dance over the surface of whatever it touches. Beautiful to look at, but not to drive in. I still have a little shopping to finish, but going out in weather like this would be like pushing Snoopy off the doghouse. Tomorrow might be a good day to stay at home and bake cookies.

12/3 Betty Booping

Dec 3 – Ya know how some things don’t seem to belong? Like the Sesame Street song, “One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong …” I decided to wear a pair of socks that don’t quite belong either. I was considering my Snoopy socks, but Peanuts has a lock on Christmas. It belongs. I’ve never thought of Betty Boop as a Christmas icon, yet here she is with her little dog, Pudgy, hanging holly in her festive Santa hat. Yesterday, I complained about the snow. Today, it’s raining. To me, rain does not belong during the Christmas season, sort of like Betty Boop. I wanted to put up my outdoor decorations today. It’s either get wet or wait. But isn’t that life? It’s not all neat and tidy, but still we soldier on through the mud. Have a towel handy, Snoopy. Betty and I are getting wet.