It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

How did Newest Blue go on Sat night at our little holiday bunfight soiree?  Very happy with my new frock, especially the petticoats that are so swishy you want to do cartwheels (when guests have their backs turned, obviously). And when I realised my new Glenda the Good Witch silver pumps (Kiwis call them "court shoes") left glitter in my wake, well, ding a ling a ling.

Opted this time for removable bow belt, silver pumps (jolly comfy) and silver-gold earings

Me and friend Heidi

Cy with Laura and Lisa. The holidays are Cy's time of the year. He love to get "fancy"and slips into one of his "tuxedos" - two of which are from Costco and one from his Grandparents - at the drop of a hat

Curtis in his vintage trou and Andy

Tallulah and Colleen

Jean, bookclub friend, with waiters Cy and Tallulah (one for me, one for the guests)

Random moments out and about.....

Angels singing in the rain for us at Bay Street Emeryville

Stopping for ice cream at the Brazil Cafe in Berkeley

*The best holiday-ish thing we've seen so far is The Hard Nut by the Mark Morris Dance Group which is from Belgium. It's The Nutcracker without the snooze.

My husband's face at left in the poster

via

Costumes that look like Mad Men on crack and instead of the adorable children scene there tipsy party guests, a mother who drops prozac and a slutty daughter. The dancing mashes up hip hop, tap and ballet; thoroughly original. Consider this: 32 dancers throw 20 lbs of confetti amid 116 costume changes and 30 wigs. And even better, men in tutus and the dancers are all shapes and sizes. (The last time I went to the Kirov Ballet I spent most of the time wincing as the dancers were so scrawny).

*Tonight we're having a few odd bods over for mince pies (the sweet kind) and mulled wine. The mince pies are made by Mr Walker and are from a Scottish shoppe in San Fran. They are my favourite and I'm trying to keep my greasy paws off them...Must. Eat. Thewholepacket. I've noticed each wee one is 250 calories. (Whoah!) We've off to New Zealand tomorrow night, a 12-hour flight arriving in Auckland on Saturday (thus missing Friday in transit.) I'm thinking those extra calories can fly away into the sky with Friday. Ding a ling a ling!