You're very welcome! Now you can see why I have to start decorating at the beginning of December in order to get everything up and have time to enjoy it all :) I love the saying, "Wise Men (meaning women, of course, too) Still Seek Him."

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Marianne!

Haha, yes, I see what you mean. Doesn't mean we have much less in the house at Christmas. LOL

I've seen MALIBU RISING on a few lists today, so I'm not as alone as I thought I was! LOL.

Thanks for popping in, NickiMags!

Same! Other people's decorated houses look like they're straight out of a magazine. My neighbors have professionals come do their outside lights every year and they always look perfect. We just do what we can. LOL.

I love Sepetys, so I'm excited about her newest. The Noodle Shop Mysteries really are fun. Light and entertaining.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Kami!

Oh, really? Interesting. I've never even read a sample of one of her books, so I really wonder what I'll think of her writing.

Thanks for stopping in, Ellie!

The first book was a ton of fun. It just made me smile, so I'm excited to keep going with the series. Cath says it gets better as it goes. Love that!

Thanks for popping by, Poinsettia!

Ha ha. Thanks! We go a little crazy on the inside, but not as much on the outside. We're lazy that way :)

Thanks for coming by, Kristine!

It's nice that our books are so patient with us. They sit there gathering dust, not saying a word...I'm actually caught up with the Noodle Shop series and I can't say that about many others, LOL.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Nicole!

Oh, okay, good to know. Well, I love mysteries and family sagas/dramas, so I think it will still be right up my alley. I just need to get to it, hopefully before the end of the year. We'll see.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Deanna!

Thank you so much! We used to have one that was just as tall, but about three times as round. It was a pain to put up, plus it completely covered the painting of Jesus, which seemed more than a little ironic! We finally bought a skinnier tree and we love it. It's so much easier to assemble and decorate.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Tanya!

Wow! You're on top of things. I need to be better at Christmas prepping BEFORE December—I mean, it's not like I don't know all year that Christmas is coming! LOL.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cheryl!

I love looking at other people's decorations, although it usually makes me feel insecure about mine. Ha ha. Oh well, I love having the things that make me happy around me at Christmastime, no matter how poorly they're displayed!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lori!

Sounds like everyone is really liking MALIBU RISING. That's great, especially for such a hyped-up book. I'm excited to read it. And, I agree, the Noodle Shop series is so fun. I don't care how far-fetched the stories get, I just enjoy being entertained :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leah!

Bummer! It sounds like a great book. All of hers are—that's why I get to excited about them :)

Thanks for popping in!

"Strangely fascinating" sounds like a pretty apt description. Love it!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

Thanks! It's always a pain to get all the decorations out of the garage and get them all put up, but it's nice to enjoy them afterward.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Ethan!

Yeah? I know it's kind of weird to be interested in such a morbid subject, but I totally am! Glad I'm not the only one :)

Thanks for popping in, Alicia!

Oh, how funny! Maybe the author is your long-lost cousin...I guess you better read her books. She writes non-fiction about random subjects. I've heard really good things about them, so I'm excited to finally read one.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cindy!

Thanks! It's festive, anyway :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Lark!

I'm hoping they're all good reads. So far, so good.

Thanks for popping in, Lisa!

It's a really fun series. Light and funny and just entertaining. I love it.

Thanks for coming by, Danielle!

It really is. I can't remember how tall—12 feet? We use a tall, scary ladder to decorate the top!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Sam!

I've been reading like a fiend this year, so I'm not at 196 books read. It will be interesting to see how far ABOVE my goal I get. Sounds like you were more balanced than me this year, ha ha.

Thanks for stopping in, Aj!

I remember the days of decorating around little kids! We had a tree that was only decorated from halfway up for lots of years :) I'm hoping it won't be TOO many years before we get to decorate around grandkids.

"Funny and gross" - I can't wait!

Thanks for popping by, Anne!

I've read one so far (POISON LILIES) and it was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. I'm hoping I have the same reaction to the others on my list.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Pam!

I'm going to read TRULY DEVIOUS next, but I think MALIBU RISING will be up after that. I need to get my TWO copies back to the library so someone else has a chance to read it. LOL.

Thanks for popping in, Kristi!

Thanks! It's been a fun house. We're planning to downsize this summer, so if you know someone looking for a big, beautiful house in the valley, point them my way.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Wendy!

I've been really loving historical mysteries this year. I'm looking forward to enjoying more of them in the new year. Let me know if you find some good ones I need to check out!

Thanks for popping in, Yvonne!

I can't remember where I heard about Sepetys' new one, but it seems like lots of fans haven't heard the news yet. It's definitely something to get excited about!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Suzanne!

I'm always wary of really hyped-up books, too. They never seem to lived up to all the buzz. It sounds like MALIBU RISING does, though. Fingers crossed.

Thanks for stopping in, Neeru!

Sorry, not sorry! LOL. I hope you enjoy the ones you read :)

Thanks for popping by, Michelle!

It is comfy, but I've actually been freezing this week. Our highs have *only* been in the 60s. That's coooolllddd for us!

Thanks for stopping in, April!

Oh, that's great to hear! I enjoyed the first book a lot, so now I'm even more excited for the next ones.

GHOST SHIP sounds super intriguing, doesn't it? I'm hoping to get to it soon before the library police comes and shakes me down for all my overdue books :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Cath!

They're great, aren't they? Even just the drawings make me hungry for Chinese food! That's the only thing I don't like about the series, ha ha.

Thanks for popping by, Louise!

Oh, good! I'm excited for TIPS FOR MAGICIANS. It sounds fun. And the Sepetys book looks excellent, as hers always do. Lots of fun MG and YA books coming out in 2022.

Thanks for stopping in, Laura!

Thanks! I'm hopping over to your blog now to see if you've got some new poetry for me to enjoy :)

Thanks for popping by, Rajani!

I remember those days! My kids are teenagers, but they've already broken a couple things this year. To be fair, I also dropped a figurine for my Christmas village. I'm not sure super glue can save it, sadly.

Thanks for stopping in, Emily!

I've read all of Sepetys' books and I've enjoyed them all. My favorite is SALT TO THE SEA. I'm excited for this new one, too. It sounds excellent.

Thanks for popping by!

It seems like the news about Sepetys' newest has kind of been kept on the down-low, which is weird because February is right around the corner. I'm glad I could help spread the word. She's one of my favorite YA hist-fic writers.

I hope you enjoy the Noodle Shop Mystery series. It's a lot of fun.

Thanks for stopping in, Amber!

Awww, thank you so much! I hope your holidays are wonderful as well :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting!

Thanks so much, Lectrice! You're good for my self-confidence :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting!

Oh, good! I think I'm really going to enjoy her books. I'm excited to read STIFF.

Thanks for popping in, Cheri!

Isn't it weird that no one seems to know about the new Sepetys book? I follow her on Facebook—I think that's where I found out about it. At any rate, I'm excited. It sounds really good.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Carla!

Jim Shore is great, isn't he? I love how whimsical and fun his work is.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Katherine!

Sepetys' books are always good. She's one of my favorite YA historical fiction authors. I hope we both enjoy I MUST BETRAY YOU!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Deb!

Oh, good! I'm not the only one :)

Thanks for popping in, Carrie!

I always laugh when I hear books set in the 80s and 90s described as historical fiction. Those decades don't seem like THAT long ago. LOL.

The tall tree is fun. Our ceilings are super high, so it looks weird to have a small tree!

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Helen!

Uh oh! You might have to keep your Christmas decorations up all year round. I do know someone who has her tree up all year and decorates it for Valentine's Day, the Fourth of July, Halloween, etc. Could be fun :)

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, Leslie!

Well, it was one copy from two different libraries, but yeah...I'm an airhead. I returned one of them yesterday. Ha ha.

The villages are fun! My MIL bought most of the houses for me for Christmas and birthday gifts as the ones I like are not cheap. I love them, though. My collection is pretty modest. My aunt has so many that she has to use several long tables to display them all! Hers is more like a city than a village. LOL.

Thanks, as always, for coming by and commenting, RS!