Oh the weather outside is... winter.

It's been a strange Christmas season. It never really felt like Christmas for me. There's a certain Christmas feeling, that of anticipation, excitement, a lovely rosy feeling connected to light displays, well-worn songs, and the smell of pine and candles, that I never had this year. I can't explain it, because I know it's deeply connected to my childhood. But it never really clicked in me this year that it's Christmas time. It's happened before, but not for awhile.

Sure, we hung lights on the house, and yes, I had the entire week off work (using nearly all of my vacation time), and hey, it sure is cold outside. But it just felt like another week, only with giving and getting of stuff and lots of unusually heavy traffic at the grocery store. Something is missing here, and I don't know why or how I missed it.

Still, Jenny and I had a much better than average Christmas holiday. Because I took the week off and The Lovely Jenny only had to work two days of my off time and didn't have to go to school, we had ample, rewarding "us" time. I have been reminded many times over why I'm so in love with her, and didn't bother to correct my nephew Nicholas today when he said he was waiting to start a video for when my wife came back to the room. She is my wife, that's how I think of her. Just not legally, not just yet.

Also, we shopped a lot, for our friends, family, and each other, and we received even more than we bought. Tomorrow we're driving out to Tipton county for her family's Christmas deal, but even now here's our swag count:

• A big, bad Black & Decker food processor
• A whole mess of socks (his and hers)
• $650 cash*
• A $150 Walmart gift card**
• Two winter shirts for me
• An autographed Dick Vitale book (sweet!)
• Season 3 of Venture Brothers on DVD (hell yeah!)
• 600 classic cartoons 6-DVD set***
• Wireless home phone w/ answering machine and call-ID***
• Box of chocolate cordial cherries
• Refillable diffusion aromatic scent kit

* Used for new 2.1 speakers for both of our PC's, clothes for Jenny, bills, etc.
** Used for a Griz fitted cap, Star Trek 2-disc DVD, make-up, etc.
*** I bought for Jenny

It more than offsets all the stuff we bought for other people this year. It was really satisfying to be able to go out and shop for gifts without worrying too much about the cost. Easily our most giving Christmas, monetarily, in years. Here's the give list:

• Framed mini-poster for an '88 rock concert
• Tinkerbell earrings
• A home bar/mixed drinks accessory set
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 2-disc DVD
• Monty Python and the Holy Grail special edition 2-disc DVD + extras
• Jeremiah Johnson DVD
• Good Night and Good Luck DVD
• Steamboy DVD
• A custom-made bracelet (by The Lovely)
• A big wall-hanging, bronze-looking star thing
  
• A specially selected sew-on patch

After I wrapped our gifts, Jenny hand-made awesome ribbons, bows, and tags. It doesn't mean too much to the people gleefully tearing off the paper, but it means a lot to me to know how we made their gifts look so festive. I even took a picture, and this wasn't all of it:


So, no, it didn't feel like the Christmas season I remember as a kid. But it was a good Christmas nonetheless, and it reminded me over and over of why I fell in love with Jenny. Christmas is supposed to be a special time that reminds you of all the people you care about; it's about family, and it reminded me of the little family that Jenny and I will soon be starting. And I can't wait.

O.J. to Marc.

This is the greatest pass since the invention of handing things to people.

Marc is the Gasol we've been looking for.

Yes, that was a Star Wars reference. Anyway, Marc Gasol has come to play this season. If I hadn't seen him in person, not once, but twice this year, I wouldn't believe it. But the big fat kid from Lausanne has officially arrived in the NBA. Last season, he put on a great show (for a rookie), and impressed a lot of people (for a rookie). But that was then. This is now, and he has spent the entire season serving notice to the rest of the league that he is here to fuck your shit up.

Offensively, he's looked like Pau from his All-Star year; turn-and-guns, fade-aways, lefty hooks, fast break slams, the whole range. Defensively, he's doing this:

I spent hours of my life -- hours that I will never get back -- defending Pau Gasol. I never understood why I had to defend him, but I did. He's clearly the best player this franchise has ever had, and he always covered his shortcomings by being, I don't know, the best player the franchise has ever had. And now his trade to the Lakers has given us what may well turn out to be something even better: a little brother that may turn out to be the best role player in franchise history.

Yes, Marc has the ability to surpass Shane Battier in that category. You have NO IDEA how hard it was for me to write that. Shane is my favorite player ever. He's a great guy who knows his role and plays it to perfection. He's all heart and hustle, and a natural leader. He's great with fans and the media. And he wins.

You know who else fits that description? Marc Gasol. What's more, he's putting up nearly Pau-like numbers offensively while being vastly superior defensively. If the offense didn't include shot-happy players like Rudy, O.J., and Randolph, and if the Griz weren't "coached" by a hack like Hollins, Marc could easily be averaging 20+ points per game. He's that good right now.

I'm not saying Marc is "the answer" (Get it? Because A.I. was a disaster? OK, it wasn't funny). But he's a fundamental piece to a winning team, and the Griz need to recognize that any effort to build this team into something special must include Marc as the focal point. I hope someone in Heisley's ear figures that out.