Inflatable blogs.

Work consumed my day as completely as a Hormel plant does the big piggies it receives. It was that kind of day, one that makes you question the wisdom of taking the previous week off. But in the longer run, there's no questioning the wisdom of that idle week. It's essential.

Outdoor Christmas decor is fairly advanced here in the new neighborhood. A lot went up in the days after Thanksgiving. One conclusion I can draw about outdoor decoration: Those with a tendency to put up silly Halloween inflatables on their lawns are also likely to put up silly Christmas inflatables. So far it's just a Santa or two, but I'm expecting reindeer, snowmen, and who knows what else.

Somehow I didn't get around to putting up any of our decorations last weekend -- it still seemed too early -- but this weekend it's a distinct possibility. Our outdoor display consists of strings of lights. Simple by American standards, but I'm reminded of the time I spent Christmas in Canberra, Australia. Someone had strung Christmas lights around his house there, and the bloke I was staying with thought this such a novelty that he took me to see it one evening. But that was 12 years ago. For all I know, a lot Australians are now lighting up their houses for their warm holiday season.