There have been lots of sweet and thoughtful holiday gifts arriving on my desk this week:  a lovely bookmark with a quote from Thoreau; bath gel and lotion; enormous olives stuffed with feta cheese; a sweet little picture frame; heavenly homemade cookies; homemade marshmallows; a pretty mug with Ghiradelli cocoa mix in it; and all kinds of other awesome stuff.  And then today a cute first grade girl shyly came up to me with a picture that she had made for me (she also inscribed it “To Abby – From Jane Doe,” which I cut off in my photo to preserve her anonymity).  Click on photo to enlarge and to see all of the details, which do get cut off in the thumbnail:

She took a minute to tell me about her picture:  Santa’s bookcase has books, and also Santa’s hat and an elf’s hat.  Then there’s a roaring fire in the fireplace, and Santa’s desk and desk chair.  I LOVE this picture!  It’s on our fridge, in a spot of honor.  I also LOVE that so many people have taken the time and energy to let me know that they care about me this week – it’s really, really nice to be reminded once a year that what you do matters, and that other people notice.  Thanks, everyone, and right back at ‘cha!!!