You know you're nearing the limits of your sanity when you start talking along with the talking cookie jars at the end-dap display.

So, while I recharge my psyche, I'm sharing this list of favorite things. Okay, that's the song they were playing on the Muzak system in the store. It's either that or I start barking ``Who Let The Dogs Out (woof, woof, woof, woof).'' Which was on one of the three cookie jars.'' By the by, if you see the Keebler Elves, tell them I want to punch them in their elven noses.

Christmas favorites:

I have a soft spot for White Christmas. Not the song, necessarily, but the movie. Bing Crosby is big around here. He grew up in Spokane, Washington and went to Gonzaga University, one of my almas mater. There's a statue of him outside the library (students annually steal the pipe from the statue) and his Oscar and gold records are on display therein. I think it's the harmony of the four main characters when they sing together -- Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera Ellen. The dance numbers are cool, too. But mostly it's Rosemary Clooney. I love that voice.

I come from that generation that got to see the annual Christmas parade of animated specials when they debuted. In some ways, that makes them stay fresh in my mind. But only if you don't watch them year after year. My favorite is the animated How the Grinch Stole Christmas. It was so delightfully fun. I kick myself these days. I've never been one for collecting animated art, but I could have, and maybe should have, bought some original cels from that show when I visited the Chuck Jones Museum. This was while Chuck was still alive, and there were still a few original cels available. Instead, I bought his two books -- Chuck Amok and Chuck Redux -- autographed copies.

I've already mentioned my soft spot for the family fruitcake recipe. I have a few other favorite christmas treats -- one is a white cake that my grandmother used to cut into squares, frost all around with white frosting and roll in coconut. She did the same thing, only rolling them in chopped peanuts instead of coconut, but it wasn't the same for me.

When it comes to favorite places to spend Christmas, I have to split my vote between two places. Maui, obviously, is one. I loved living on Maui. And there's something wonderful about wearing suntan lotion on Christmas day. But the other vote goes to Europe. I spent on Christmas season travelling around. I was in Rome on Christmas Eve, but left on the train before the Pope came out to celebrate mass at St. Peter's Square. I'm not Catholic, so the urge to spend the evening amongst the masses didn't appeal to me. But early in the afternoon on Christmas Eve, I did climb up to the top of the Basilica and look out onto the glory of Rome. It was breathtaking. I was touched by how uncommercial Christmas is in Europe. In Switzerland, the season was understated, and the image of Kris Kringle was different. In Rome, the festivities struck me as incredibly religious -- which shouldn't come as a surprise. I reached London for Boxing Day, and spent a week walking around the city. It wasn't all after-Christmas sales, either. London is a lovely city. And if Dubya keeps us moving on the course we're on, I may be moving there before too much longer.

Okay. Feel free to click on the comment link down there and share your Christmas favorites. Go ahead. It doesn't bite. But if you stand under the mistletoe, you might get nibbled on a little.

My life is an open blog.

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