Well, I'm sitting in the warm house playing the Nutcracker Suite, I guess it's time to GET FESTIVE.

Since Joey's already called me out on it, I've got to recommend Iris Murdoch's The Black Prince. I did gush about it quite a bit after finishing it a couple of weeks ago, as I was taken aback by how unexpectedly exciting it was! Upon finishing reading, I was truly tempted to start it all over again...relatedly (in an oblique, inside-joke sort of way, naturally) how is it that I've never seen Rashomon? Or possibly, how is it that I don't remember seeing Rashomon?

If you're less into reading books and more into having cat pictures on your wall, you might consider Lucy Knisley's Standard Linney Formations. It's available in adorable poster form!

Here are a couple gift suggestions for people you like:

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson. - This book is strange and beatiful and dark and American in all the right ways. A Shirley Jackson book is the perfect gift for that special someone you know who steps on the sidewalk cracks with purpose and secret satisfaction.

Doctor Who Series 5, with Matt Smith taking over as the 11th Doctor. I love these new Doctor Who seasons, but I think Matt Smith may be my favourite Doctor yet. There's something so strange and alien in his movement. He's not as likeable as David Tennant, but that sort of makes him more compelling! Any of the new Doctor Who seasons would be a perfect gift for anyone you know who likes their science fiction uplifting or hilarious as often as it is terrifying and bleak.