On the fourth day of Christmas, your Geevie brings to you...

A favorite holiday song:

Just a little 80s diddy, the quintessential ode to lost love. Haven't we all been there? (Say... like Andy in "Groupie"?)



A favorite holiday movie/show:

I can't even get into how much I love "Bloom County." I discovered it one Sunday morning when the creator of the comic strip used his Royal Purpleness (aka Prince) to wake up one of the characters courtesy of a loud alarm clock. As a devoted Prince fan, I immediately grew fond of anyone who would reference him, so I ended up looking for that strip every single week. After that I bought the books, I inhaled the weekly and daily installments in the newspaper... I even began my collection of Opuses (Opi?) in a shameless display of penguin lust*.

1985

2006

Don't judge us for our love.

I even played the heck out of the little vinyl floppy record that came as an insert in the 1987 collection of toons "Billy and the Boingers Bootleg", in which our favorite BC characters decide to form a glam metal band to make $$ quick. I still know the songs by heart and have been known to randomly belt them out with little to no provocation. When I found the following on YouTube, I squealed like a twitterpated Belieber who just got retweeted.



In all the years I circled the idea of getting a tattoo and couldn't figure out what image I wanted permanently etched into my body, this image was what finally convinced me to commit to the idea, only personalized with my books surrounding my favorite penguin. (And I will get this once I land on the NYT best seller list. Mark my words.)

There's an excellent chance that you missed the 1991 Bloom County TV Christmas Special, "A Wish for Wings That Work," the story in which our earthbound penguin Opus asks Santa Claus for a Christmas miracle... to finally know what it is like to fly. It is a heartwarming tale that is silly and irreverent, like many a Bloom County fan (myself included.) It doesn't get played much anymore (if at all) but it remains a holiday favorite for this stalwart BC fan.



A holiday recipe:

Another family favorite on my holiday table is a lime jello salad that my mother made as far back as I remember. It's tangy and sweet, with a burst of pineapple in almost every creamy bite. Since pineapple was my very favorite fruit growing up, I started dreaming of this sweet, green treat by Halloween. That it also allowed me to sneak what was left in the 7-Up can once my mom was done with it was just icing on the cake, figuratively speaking. Soda was a special treat when I was a kid because my mom never allowed them in the house. She was afraid they'd make me fat. Instead I was hooked up to a perennial IV drip of sweet tea, the house wine of the south.

Needless to say, I carried this tradition forward when I took over holiday cooking. We have this every year without fail, which allowed me to give my kids a tiny slice of my childhood. I've tried to minimize the caloric damage with sugar free or fat free ingredients and it really doesn't lose any of its sparkle. Feel free to experiment, but make plenty to share.

Geevie's Holiday Lime Jello

1 large box lime jello mix
6 oz cream cheese, cubed
1 can pineapple tidbits
1 can 7-Up

Measure one cup of boiling water into dry jello mix and stir until jello is dissolved. Add cubed cream cheese and beat with mixer until blended. Drain pineapple juice into measuring cup, fill to one cup with 7-Up and add to jello mixture. Add pineapple and chill until set, preferably overnight.

Book of the day:

"Love Plus One" was the first Rubenesque romance I tackled, plopping a shy size-12 introvert in the middle of a televised dating show with the handsome best friend she thought was way out of her league. I wrote it in 2007, around the time I was overdosing on shows like "The Bachelor" and "Rock of Love," so ... me being me... I hopped right into the reality TV sandbox and created a story a little more accessible to girls who never got cast on the show. It remained my most popular book until "Groupie" came along, and ultimately my favorite L+1 characters popped up in Mogul and the Fierce trilogy. As I'm writing Book #2 of the Fullerton Family Saga, Shannon, Jake and Jorge all make an appearance (as do Vanni, Graham and Jace,) further expanding the Groupie universe that began a long time ago with a heroine a lot like me.

EXCERPT OF LOVE PLUS ONE:

She waited for Jake in the living room. As the clock ticked closer to the time he was due to arrive, Shannon became more and more excited. She had looked forward to this date more than she could have consciously admitted, and now that it was here she didn't want to think of anything else but spending time with her very best friend.

All that crush business... it was just an act.

Right?

She had herself fooled right up until he walked in the door. Like Shannon he was dressed casually, and no one wore casual quite like Jake Dalton. It was so much more than just how he looked, but how he carried himself. His aura radiated kindness, generosity, self-confidence.

She'd always known that. What was new was the way she noticed how his dark lashes framed his amazing blue eyes, or the large strong hand that reached out for her... the way he smelled as he bent in for a hug.

Jake was a hugger. He gave some of the best hugs around. They weren't stingy, shy hugs. They were full body, head to toe bear hugs.

She found herself fully aware of how his body felt molded against her own. Despite her size, his arms were big enough to sweep her into an embrace that engulfed her. She felt safer there than she had ever felt anywhere in the whole world.

At least until she felt the immediate emptiness the minute he pulled away, but his eyes held her fast and refused to let her go. She could tell how happy he was to see her. Try as she might, she didn't remember him looking at Kayleigh this way.

That made her happier than she'd been all week.

They ducked inside the limo and were alone at last.

Except for the camera, but Shannon was quickly learning how easy that was to forget.

They sat close together, comfortable old friends.

“I've missed you,” he said. “I don't know what to do with my nights without my favorite IM buddy.”

She laughed. “I've seen the video. You have plenty to keep you busy.”

An embarrassed grin crossed his face. “Well, you know.”

She nodded. She knew. As much as he'd begun this journey to help her reclaim what Rex stole, he was still human.

“So what's it like for you? I don't get to see any tapes,” he reminded her.

Purple feathers and misplaced underwear flashed in her mind. “Thank God.”

That got his attention. “Okay. Now you have to tell me.”

Her entire face turned red as she shook her head. “No way, buster. That's not how this game is played.”

“You know,” he said, donning his best German accent, “ve have vays of making you talk.” He held up two hands in prime tickle position, which made her giggle before he even touched her.

“You wouldn't dare!”

He dared. He dove right in and tickled her until she was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. “Okay, okay!” she gasped. “Uncle!”

Mercifully he stopped, but he didn't move. As she caught her breath she realized that he had her pinned against the seat, their faces mere inches apart. Time seemed to stand still as she stared into those baby blues up close. She had dreamed of being in his arms like this, but nothing compared to actually being there.

“Well?” he whispered with a crooked grin.

“Well what?” she whispered back, having completely forgotten the original line of questioning.

Jake seemed extremely amused. He didn't move an inch. “What goes on at the Bachelorette Pad when I'm not around?”

“Oh,” she said. She licked her lips which drew his gaze that direction. The butterflies in her stomach clog danced their way to her feet when his eyes briefly glanced down at her mouth.

“Gossiping. Grooming. Sacred shaving rituals. You know. Girl stuff.”

He nodded, but he didn't look as if he believed her.

And he also didn't look like he had any intention to move.

Only Shannon couldn't take it anymore and she scooted out from underneath him to open the tiny refrigerator. “Soda?” she asked without looking him in the eye.

It crossed her mind only briefly that if Kayleigh had been in her position she'd have taken full advantage of the situation. The date wouldn't have even made it from the back seat.

But Shannon wasn't Kayleigh. And no one knew that better than Jake.

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