Raina and I will be participating in the Holiday Open House at WORD in Brooklyn.

Stop by for recommendations, donuts and hot chocolate, holiday movies, and more! Not sure what to get for your whole list? Not to worry — our staff can help. We’ll also have authors on hand to help wrap presents, recommend books, and sign! All tips for wrapping will be donated to the Greenpoint Food Pantry, which hands out hundreds of bags of groceries each week.

Sunday’s guest authors include: Jami Attenberg, Dave Roman, Jeff Salane, and Raina Telgemeier.

Sunday December 15th from 1:30-2:30pm

WORD
126 Franklin St,
Brooklyn, NY 11222

This is a holiday message to myself more than anyone else.

It’s a reminder to step back and try to keep things in perspective. To appreciate life, and all the amazing things in our world. To not waste any opportunity to let friends and family know how important they are. And pass on compliments and good tidings to complete strangers. To make a more concerted effort to contribute something positive to the world.

I know a lot of people who are justifiably cynical about the holidays, especially now when times are rough both financially and emotionally. But as bad as things get, I know there can still be hope and a reason to live for a better tomorrow. So, I’ve always tried to get into the “holiday spirit” even if I make a fool of myself in the process. I was raised with no religious affiliation, but for me Christmas is a great time to disconnect from instincts of knee-jerk negativity (which is most prevalent on the internet) and embrace a little bit more sincerity. Nerd out on Christmas, if you will.

So, a very sincerely happy holidays to all of you out there. Hope it is filled with warm hearts, memories and snacks.