.

.

.

.

.

Joy

to

the

World

and

Joyeux

Noel.

.

.

.

.

.

The little elf atop of this tree came into my mother's house on a bottle of Joy dish liquid in the '60s. It took quite a few years for the little guy to merit his lofty position. Today he hangs onto the tree topper my husband and I bought for our first tree. Years later my children and I painted wooden ornaments, including the noel on this tree.

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quote: A writer lives for twenty-five years and spends the rest of his life writing about it.-Kurt Vonnegut.

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Writing: Writers have to dip into their memories, recalling the intense emotions that accompanied the firsts of their lives--the first kiss, the first death, the first best friend. They have to feel again the pain of unrequited love, a friend's betrayal, a parent's fall from perfection. Experience elicits the same emotions but with a sense of familiarity. Writes can't afford dulling senses. The best story feels like a 'first.'