If 2008 was a marathon, then I’m crawling at about mile 25.9.

This has just been a long year on a multitude of fronts.

I am so looking forward to taking some time off for the holidays to enjoy some rest and look into 2009 with a positive and enthusiastic perspective. Even though many are saying its going to be a harder year than 2008.

In the spirit of the season, below is my Holiday/Birthday Gift list (my birthday is 12/12). I thought it would be easier to publish the list on the site in a central location rather than drafting an email and forwarding it all over the place. I am also not suggesting that I want everything on this list, but I just figured I’d put everything on the table for people to choose from.

Where possible, I’ve linked to the item/product that I’m interested in. In some cases, the link/reference to a product and/or retailer will be directional (meaning, this item or something like this from a similar retailer) and in those cases, I’ll call that out with the notation [sic]. Whether I know you or not, gifts are always welcome

And so, without further ado, Steve’s Holiday and Birthday gift list:

Clothing

Rugby shirts from L.L. Bean – XL-Tall, Atlantic Blue, Thyme and striped that includes those colors

Dress Chinos from L.L. Bean – Size 34″ W x 32″ Inseam, Cuffed, Natural Fit, Pleated, Dk. Khaki, Khaki, Olive, Black

Lambswool Crewneck Sweater from L.L. Bean – XL-Tall, Charcoal, Loden

Mock Turtleneck from L.L. Bean – XL Tall in black, and any other color except Navy Blue (have that already), Cream, White

Sport/Button down shirts from Brooks Brothers or their outlet line “346″. Or a gift certificate. Shirt Size: XL

Red Sox World Series Champs 2007 T-Shirt from MLB.com or other retailer

Sports

2007 Red Sox World Series DVD Set. Its $54 at MLB.com but feel free to grab it elsewhere for less.

2004 Red Sox Playoff and World Series DVD Set. Its $80 at MLB.com . If I had to choose, I’d want this one over the 2007 because it includes the comeback against the Yanks.

Red Sox related Sports Illustrated covers. The more recent ones are of most interest. But the older one of Ted Williams is also very cool.

Patriots related Sports Illustrated covers. The more recent ones are of most interest.

New England Patriots Super Bowl DVD’s. Various prices on NFL.com but may be available elsewhere.

Panoramic stadium photo from New England Patriots Super Bowls or Gillette Stadium

Bigger Golf Ball Display case [sic]

Books and Paper Products

Bulletproof Web Design by Dan Cederholm

Trancending CSS by Andy Clarke

What Sticks by Rex Briggs and Greg Stuart

Start with No… by Jim Camp

Moleskine Notebook – Either the large hardcover black (plain paper), or the large cahier 3-pack soft cover black (plain paper).

Home Electronics and Computer

Roughly 42″ Flat Panel HDTV, preferrably Samsung. [sic] (This is a dream and I’m half joking here.)

Video Camcorder – I’d prefer the Direct to Hard drive type model but they are expensive, so Direct to DVD will work too. Sony, Samsung, JVC are good brands.

GPS Navigation System for Car – Not sure exactly which one to get. Garmin is a good line. I like the Bluetooth feature, but reasonably, get the most features for the best price. [sic]

Nintendo Wii

A smartphone like the Blackberry Pearl or Curve or the iPhone, although I am not to enthralled about the bad press surrounding AT&T network. I can get a new phone from Verizon in Feb. and I’m eyeing the Blackberry.

External Hard Drive – 500GB [sic]

Gift certificates from iTunes

House and Home

Storage Units for the Garage [sic]

A Storage Shed for the outside to house bigger items

Gift certificates from Home Depot or Lowe’s

Miscellaneous

A reading from James Kelleher

That’s it for now. If I have updates, I’ll add it to the list.

I know the day is almost over, but take a few minutes and watch Martin Luther King, Jr’s “I Have a Dream” speech on YouTube. Almost 44 years later, it still resonates.

Happy Turkey Day! We just finished up a pair of marathon days of entertaining at our house on Thanksgiving Day and on “Black Friday”, the day after Thanksgiving. We had about 35 friends and family over for Thanksgiving and then an additional 20-25 friends and family over on Friday for an additional round of entertaining. We had lots of screaming kids running around the house and more food than we know what to do with. We also unveiled our newly refurbished living room which got rave reviews. More info and photos of the room will be posted shortly on the House area of the site. I’ll be eating hot, open faced turkey sandwiches for the next month. But we also have lots of yummy desserts remaining including some good chocolate chip cookies and some apple pies. Overall, it was a successful but immensely tireing couple of days.

In the venerable Sunday NY Times, there was a classic artcicle about Festivus, the “alternate” holiday created by Frank Costanza (Jerry Stiller) of Seinfeld fame. The great irony of the story is that Festivus is actually the brainchild of the father of one of the Seinfeld writers. More amazing, Festivus is gaining popularity as a reason for people to have alternate holiday parties.

Happy Holidays to everyone!!! Hope you are able to take some time out of the crazyness to enjoy some time with friends, family, or a book and a roaring fire.

Happy Holidays to one and all. Merry Christmas. Happy Chanukah. Happy Kwanzaa. Happy New Year. Feliz Navidad. Happy Festivus. This holiday season was nice. We spent time with family and we all exchanged lots of neat and well needed gifts. I have lots of gift cards to redeem for all sorts of good loot. And the kids very much enjoyed opening lots of gifts as well. Not to take away from the true meaning of the season, to be with friends & family and to truly appreciate all that you have. Have a great end of the year and a wonderful new year.

Happy Thanksgiving!!! Happy Turkey Day!!! I hope you were able to enjoy some good fixin’s of turkey and other traditional holiday fare.

Happy Halloween!!! My son is dressed up like a pumpkin and my daughter is going to be dressed up as a princess. Both look cute!