Naughty or Nice?
Dec 26th 2007
Rachel GibsonOn Writing!
This year I tried to be nice. I mean, I always try but I just don’t always succeed. I am very impatient, and I don’t like to be trapped by stupid people who make me crazy. This past year though, I decided that I just needed to relax. To be more chill. I came to this decision when I was in my car early last spring. I was stopped at a stop sign and the car in front of me wouldn’t move. She sat there and waited until there wasn’t another car in sight before she made a right-hand turn. So of course, I started yelling at a her. Which was okay until I stuck my head out the window and yelled, “For the love of God, what are you waiting for? A written invitation?” My blood pressure spiked at a dangerous level, and that was when I realized I needed to take a chill pill. To try a little harder at being a nicer person.
Looking back, I know that I didn’t always succeed, but I no longer stick my head out the car window when I yell at people. And if I’m trapped by stupid people who call my books “nasty,” I just smile and think to myself that they’re stupid. I no longer have to tell them how stupid they are.
So did Santa reward me for chillin’ and being nicer? Yes he did. 
He brought me two awesome purses and the sweetest pair of ocelot pumps.
Were you naughty or nice. Did Santa reward you accordingly?
38 Comments »
38 Responses to “Naughty or Nice?”
Karen Rose on 26 Dec 2007 at 1:54 am #
Rachel, for someone who killed off more than three dozen people in 2 books in 2007, Santa rewarded me very well, LOL.
Santa DH brought me a gorgeous new purse. He never did that before
I also got a fabulous mask to add to my collection.
Now if Santa would have brought us a new washing machine, that would have been good. Ours broke on Christmas Eve.
Judy F on 26 Dec 2007 at 5:38 am #
I was very good this year. Got some lovely gift cards to my favorite places, Kohls, B&N etc. A pretty sweater, picture frames and $$.
My dad was in a great mood all day and that was a blessing.
Judy F on 26 Dec 2007 at 5:39 am #
yup, I was very good this year. Got some lovely gift cards to my favorite places, Kohls, B&N etc. A pretty sweater, picture frames and $$.
My dad was in a great mood all day and that was a blessing.
Stacy ~ on 26 Dec 2007 at 6:42 am #
Fairly nice (I’ve been rather naughty myself with the impatience thing too). Got bookstore giftcards and one to the Cheesecake Factory and money and a lovely amethyst necklace & earring set even though my birthstone is opal, but I love purple.
Now it’s back to work. No rest for the wicked….
FreshEChelle on 26 Dec 2007 at 7:02 am #
I certainly didn’t think I was nice this year but Santa was very generous this year. I am now a member of the KitchenAid mixer club. I guess I’ll have to start cooking or baking to learn to appreciate this generous gift. My mother gave my sister and I each a dish that she used to serve dinner on when we were kids. They weren’t special to her just historic and we thought it was very funny and sweet.
Now I have to try being nicer to people to be almost worthy of the bounty I got. But I just can’t be nice to stupid drivers.
P.S. I got pulled over for aggressive driving on Christmas Eve. “Aggressive” is really open to interpretation. Guess I interpretted it well for the nice policeman who let me go.
Karen Hawkins on 26 Dec 2007 at 7:38 am #
I don’t know how ‘good’ I was, but I sure racked up the prezzies! Gift cards (someone knows my shopping side), an iRoomba vac (someone knows my lazy side), and the sexiest shoes on earth (so yes, the menage-a-gift worked!). All in all, it was a bounteous Christmas, though the neatest thing of all was watching my daughter open her prezzies.
I love that part.
Now, it’s the day after and I have this desire to unplug the tree, take it down, pack up all the ornaments and get back to normal ASAP. I had a lovely great Christmas, now it’s time to DE-CLUTTER!
ladydawgfan on 26 Dec 2007 at 8:33 am #
I admit to not being the nicest of people this past year. I don’t suffer fools lightly, especially when they are driving in front of me (or yakking on their cell phone when they SHOULD be driving!). Rachel’s comment about sticking her head out the window and shouting about written invitations sounds almost like something I usually shout, although I offer engraved invitations instead of written (really, who has the time these days?).
Nonetheless, Santa forgave me and I got a wonderful down comforter set, a memory foam mattress pad (yes, I did ask for this!), a B&N gift card, a gorgeous sweater set, a tote bag and sweatshirt with book related sayings on them. Not too bad a haul.
Did anyone get engaged over Christmas??
doglady on 26 Dec 2007 at 9:16 am #
Rachel, I so understand your frustrations with stupid people and bad drivers!! They make me insane! I tried very hard to be nicer at work and not to let the job make me crazy. It is not easy. Where I work they obviously believe in hiring the terminally dense and lazy. I too will have to be nicer this year because I got far more for Christmas than I deserved. A bottle of L’air du Temps from my Bro and SIL, numerous DVDs and CDs, a purple wool cape and butter soft purple leather gloves (my signature color)clothes, books, a number of neat little kitchen gadgets and many others. Karen H, I WANT your ROOMBA!!!
Lisa H on 26 Dec 2007 at 9:37 am #
Santa was very good to me too. My favorite gifts were a gorgeous cranberry red Liz Claiborne purse (not expensive but very pretty)
And my daughter made me pictures for my office. She bought scrapbooking paper that is all storybook themed and framed them. Some say “Once upon a time” and “There lived a beautiful princess” and “Far far away”.
I loved to see my kids open their gifts, they were all so happy. My 11 year old son opened all his presents and said he was sooooo happy and then my husband wheeled his new bike out of the kitchen! That was the greatest, to see him greatful for the “little gifts”
I tried to be nice this year, its something I have to keep on myself about!
cookeemama on 26 Dec 2007 at 10:01 am #
The writing goddess should be very, very happy with my presents. I only got one dust catcher. Which means various family members do pay attention sometimes. This dust catcher is rather large and is a bunch of snow people with signs. Will stay in the box deep on a closet shelf till I can gracefully give it to someone the family member will never know.
The reason you authors should be happy is that I got Amazon.com gift certificates from various loved ones. Total? $200! And one for $20 at Barne & Noble. I am rich. And, just think, it will all filter down to you ladies at some point. This may even last me till Mother’s Day. Yippee.
Oh yes. A granddaughter gave me a Calvin Klein purse. She worked there at the time and got a nice discount. I love it.
Buffie on 26 Dec 2007 at 10:30 am #
Gee, Rachel, here I thought all the stupid drivers were in Atlanta??!!!
I had a wonderful Christmas. I love watching my boys open their presents. And this year they both bought presents for the hubby and I. They were so excited to watch us open their presents — it brought a smile to my face. My youngest (5) bought me a pink hat, pink gloves, and a pink scarf. The oldest (9) got me earrings. I am always teasing the hubby that I want diamond earrings for Chirstmas (well, not teasing but HINTING). Anyway, it is a running joke every year. This year, my 9 year old wanted to give his Mom those diamond earrings, but on his allowance he couldn’t afford real diamonds. But I will wear those earrings with pride!
cookeemama on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:23 am #
Awww, Buffie. That is so cool! Sniff, sniff. I love watching the little ones at Christmas. And it’s so great when they finally get to the point where they realize that giving can be just as much fun as getting. Some people never learn that.
Wear you pink and your “diamonds” in good health. And give those babies big hugs every day.
Margaret
zambonigirl on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:40 am #
santa brought me a camera that will go up to 33 feet under water and a duck’s jersey. i think i must have been a good girl. or maybe enough bad stuff happened that the karma equalled out. either way, i hit paydirt.
um…it’s fake ocelot, yeah?
twolilhahas on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:44 am #
Being nice is so important. People tell me all the time that I’m too nice…whatever that means. I understand about the bad drivers, and I do have my moments where I get annoyed, but I try really hard to remember that whatever is making me mad about the other driver is almost certainly something I’ve done myself at various times. Cut someone off by mistake? Sure. Driven slower than the speed limit? Of course. Sat through a red light? Yep. So, I try to remember that everyone has reasons for being how they are, whatever they might be. I’ve driven under some very serious emotional/physical conditions before and I just never know when someone else may be operating under similar influences, so I try to be nice and patient.
That being said, I was also naughty this year and was definitely rewarded accordingly. My bf and I are now expecting a baby in the summer…number 3 for me, his first. I’m one of the unlucky ones with HG (hyperemesis gravidarum) and am soooo sick.
Kay on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:51 am #
Santa was in a good mood here, too.
My biggest present was being able to spend Christmas with my DH’s extended family. We drove 3 hours on Christmas eve, after DH got off from work. My kids got to open their presents with their cousins on Christmas morning (for the first time ever). Everyone was so nice and the day went by too quickly. We had to come back last night, because DH had to work this morning.
This was doubly special, because I had to have an annoying minor organ removed last Thursday. The surgeon cleared me for travel at 1 pm on the 24th.
DH got me a clock/radio/cd player for the kitchen. I have wanted one for a long time.
Gannon on 26 Dec 2007 at 12:16 pm #
Buffie, how sweet that your son gave you the earrings! My favorite part of Christmas is watching my children open their gifts. They got everything they wanted, so they are happy campers!
My hubby and I only gave each other small prezzies, because we are buying an infrared sauna. We’re going to put that baby in our basement and ban our kids from the premises!
Merry Christmas to us!
RachelG on 26 Dec 2007 at 12:17 pm #
Zambonigirl,
Yes. Fake ocelot. Real ocelot would be icky.
ladydogfan,
My middle daughter got engaged on x-mas day. We all like her BF and they’re going to wait for at least a year and a half.
rachelg
Lisa H on 26 Dec 2007 at 12:35 pm #
Buffie – I love the diamond earring story! I’d never take them off. Children are so sweet!
Lisa H on 26 Dec 2007 at 12:40 pm #
Rachel – I used to be just like you described in your blog – very impatient with other drivers. I decided to do a 180. Now, when I drive, I let everyone out ahead of me. I always let tailgaters pass and never get mad at the obvious stupidity I witness. I changed my ways because with two children who will be driving in the next few years, I realized they were watching my impatience and would emmulate it.
Now whenever I let someone out in front of me, I say to my kids, “See, we just helped this person out.” or “This poor guy would be waiting here all day if it wasn’t for us.” I tell them to remember to do the same when they have their licenses.
I also noticed my blood pressure is alot lower these days!
Sabrina Jeffries on 26 Dec 2007 at 1:54 pm #
Buffie, how sweet to have your boys buy you presents!
LisaH, that’s a lovely precedent to set. I read an article in O magazine in the doctor’s office a while back that talked about trying to step back and consider the fact that the other person may be going through something we don’t know about. The writer used the example of a woman who wouldn’t go at a stop light and instead put her car in park, got out, and was doing something in the back of her car. Everybody got so mad and was honking … until they discovered that the woman’s baby was choking in her car seat and she was trying to save her.
You never know what is behind the “stupid” person’s behavior. I try to remember that when I get so angry on the road. I actually tend to get MORE angry at speeders going 15 miles over the speed limit riding my tail to get around me. Then I remind myself that they may be racing someone to a hospital. I find that helps to lower my anger level.
Sabrina Jeffries on 26 Dec 2007 at 2:01 pm #
Oh, and I guess I must be succeeding because Santa brought me lots of cool things … or I should say, WARM things, since one of the things I asked for was an electric throw. I write while looking out a window, and in the winter, it gets REALLY cold. I also got a big food basket, some bamboo-wood cutting boards in the shape of books
, the gift set of the movie P&P (I wanted the soundtrack, book, etc., that came with it), CDs, and bunches of other lovely gifts. It was a very nice Christmas.
Paula on 26 Dec 2007 at 2:16 pm #
I guess that I must have been good as I got the things that I’d asked fr, a new dressing gown, some body shop smellies, cd’s a 18ct 2 gold and diamond bracelet (joint b/day and christmas) from my DH.
Congratulations to Rachel G’s daughter and fiance, and also to twolilhahas and her bf on the news of their forthcoming baby next summer hope you feel better soon.Hope you all had a good christmas
zambonigirl on 26 Dec 2007 at 2:22 pm #
yay for faux fur! the shoes in the picture are seriously beautiful.
RachelG on 26 Dec 2007 at 2:29 pm #
My kids all got me nice gifts that they’d put some thought into . . . but I do miss the little gifts they’d make me when they were in grade school. I still have them all . . . well, except for the card my son made me out of recycled dryer lint. All the kids in the class took dryer lint to school and made it into paper. Which would have been okay if they hadn’t mixed everyone’s dryer lint together. When I looked at the card, I couldn’t help but think I was getting some kid’s dad’s pube hair and I threw the card away when my son wasn’t around.
rg
Ladytink_534 on 26 Dec 2007 at 5:13 pm #
Santa didn’t get me everything on my list but he sure did do a good job on getting most of it!
Sabrina Jeffries on 26 Dec 2007 at 5:16 pm #
Oh, geez, Rachel, you made me spew coffee over the dryer lint thing. Seriously, what were those teachers thinking? Although I must admit the pube hair thing wouldn’t have occurred to me until you said it.
That’s so gross! I would have thrown it away, too!
RachelG on 26 Dec 2007 at 5:26 pm #
Really, Deb? You wouldn’t have wondered about the pube hair? Lord, guess I am as twisted as my friends tell me I am.
rachelg
FreshEChelle on 26 Dec 2007 at 7:37 pm #
pube hair? LOL! My friend’s little girl handed her some dandelions she picked from the curb weeds. As the daughter walked away, her mother said “Gee thanks for these beautiful weeds that all the dogs in town have peed on.” I sympathize with your dryer lint aversion.
Sabrina Jeffries on 26 Dec 2007 at 9:11 pm #
I just don’t think of hair as getting caught in the lint screen, although I suppose it does. I figure that washes out. Trust me, you’re not twisted–I’m just clueless sometimes.
Dot C on 26 Dec 2007 at 10:00 pm #
My 7 year old went shopping for me for the first time this year. My sister had very EXPLICIT instructions on what to help her pick out. My daughter wanted to buy me a diamond necklace….I asked my sister to help her pick out something fun, flirty, bohemian…with interesting metalwork or pretty stones. I sent them to Fashion Bug because they had 70% off all jewelry there, and I know they have some really fun baubles there. My daughter picked out a necklace that was just beautiful, and then my sister, The General, decided to help my daughter bargain shop for a shirt. My sister has always bought me clothes she thinks I should be wearing. So she helped my daughter purchase a shirt that 1.)didn’t match the necklace, and 2.)didn’t hide my boobies. AND apparently I was an A** from H*** this year because thats ALL I got. Thankfully, the pretty necklace artfully decorated my very exposed cleavage. Also, I was 5 min. late for our gathering, and it was noticed. Here’s to next year!
pri.r. on 26 Dec 2007 at 10:48 pm #
well i think i was both naughty and nice this year, naughty over-riding most everything else…BUT in my defense i did at least TRY to be a little nicer…
. Cont…
hmm santa was quite kind this year, you see my birthday is almost exactly a month before christmas (27th november) so what i don’t get for then i can always ‘hint’ at for x-mas
though this year my parents,with the best intentions, were completely lost when it came to my birthday presents i decided i’d guide them for my x-mas ones. soo i got some clothes, this tres cute denim vest (that i totally have plans for), a really pretty white top,and nice shorts, as well as gift vouchers to stores from my cousins, and from my brother a voucher to the movies, which is infact a good present because he went out of his way for my birthday and i definetly plan to use that voucher to watch ‘27 dresses’ which i personally think looks great
pri.r. on 26 Dec 2007 at 10:51 pm #
OOOH and i got a new hair straightner, because my other one EXPLODED IN MY HANDS!, ok i’m prone to dramatics, but honestly there was a SPARK!…that just ain’t normal
i used the straightner for the first time the other day and it’s amazing. not a ghd but i love it all the same.
x-mas day itself was a bit of a bummer, due partly because most of the family were away on holidays *shrugs* i’m sure we’ll do something special for new years:)
twolilhahas on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:00 pm #
Thanks Paula. It was a surprise, but babies are always welcome. The sickness, however, is very unwelcome. A diamond bracelet sounds really pretty. I hope you enjoy it forever!
Julia London on 26 Dec 2007 at 11:44 pm #
I am always testy and I have no plans to change. Not even the promise of a new year can sway me! RG, I will yell double loud just for you.
I had a great Christmas. I did not get pulled over for aggressive driving (Fresh! I would have had a heart attack!). I didn’t get any gift certs to BN or Amazon, which I really wanted, but my family seems to think that since I’m a writer I don’t need them or want them. But I do! Nevertheless, I hauled in great stuff.
And finally, I think I can say without doubt that I would never ever think of pube hairs when it came to dryer lint. I think just the thought of the little fuzzy stuff in the pockets of pants that had been on God knows who would be enough to make me toss the card. But now, I can never clean my dryer screen with the same innocence again.
I’m not sure I can even touch it.
Sabrina Jeffries on 27 Dec 2007 at 12:14 am #
I know what you mean, Julia. The lint screen is now verboten.
darkshire007 on 27 Dec 2007 at 12:49 pm #
I try to be nice. Like when people cut me off I say, “God Bless You”. If they tailgate me, that’s a little different. Then I hope they get two flat tires in the pouring rain with no spare. It dawned on me as I wrote this that I have been driving for 21 years and have never had a ticket and have never caused an accident. I guess people are serious when they say I’m a grandma driver! As for gifts this year; I received mostly home made stuff. Cookies, fruitcake, candies, a scarf. The B&N gift card I got from my husband was the best gift though.
pri.r. on 28 Dec 2007 at 7:56 pm #
i just bought Karen.H’s How to Abduct a Highland Lord and To Scotland with Love, as well as Rachel G’s “it must be love” YAY for me… belated christmas presents are amazingly awesome;)
Rowena on 04 Jan 2008 at 3:56 pm #
I can get pretty impatient with other drivers myself, it’s not always fun sitting behind the car that waits for EVERYONE and their Mom and grandma to pass before making a turn but like you, I took a chill pill and I think I’ll be okay…
Santa brought me a Prada purse and wallet and I’m super duper happy with that! =)
Happy Holidays (even if it’s a little late)
-Rowena