'Tis the [Tacky] Christmas Sweater Season!

Like chestnuts roasting on an open fire, we are getting as warm and cozy as whiskey with eggnog here in Candy's Land. Here are me and my brother and sister mutts - Tybee, Bowen, Kitty and me, Candy Lou - in our holiday card attire.

Say cheese . . .

Since Mom's on the Road, Let's Ride

Here's one of Mom's favorite music videos of all time. You know the guys of the Marshall Tucker Band had too much fun making "Long Hard Ride." Be sure to pay attention to the cameo appearance at about minute 3:58 . . . the sharp-dressed sharp-shooter happens to be Mom's uncle Phil Walden. Nothing like some yee-haw with your rock-n-roll!

And Her Hedgehog Humphrey

Since Mom is feeling sentimental as the season of thanks begins, here's a little sweet thing that made us smile. Remember "Pinwheel"? And remember this cool chick?

This one is for you, Georgie Girl. Candy Lou (and Mom) miss you!

A Wishbone of Thanks

Last year, Mom and Shuga D were kind of new in incorporating their respective holiday traditions. But this year, Mom knew exactly what to look forward to . . . and it just so happened to come early!

Shuga Mama Jean made a batch of her infamous turkey soup before Thanksgiving this year. And it was a good thing she did because by the time Mom gets back into town after Thanksgiving, it would have all been gone.

Too bad we can't share the recipe for Shuga Mama Jean's turkey soup here in Candy's Land, but we hear it is labor-intensive, involves a well-picked turkey carcass and has so many ingredients -- from cabbage to noodles to potatoes and more -- it's just better to enjoy than think through it all.

Mom's favorite holiday has always been Thanksgiving. While it often gets bypassed for the commercial superhighway that is Christmas, Mom has clung tightly to the Thanksgiving tradition of coming to the table, bowing our heads and giving thanks for each others' presence . . . whether at the table at her mom's house in Tennessee, the beaches of the Gulf Coast, here in Macon, the mountains of Alabama, serving the needy at a soup kitchen in L.A. or looking down from Heaven above . . . It's a holiday where our hearts are as full as our bellies.

If Mom wins the wishbone pull, she only wants more of exactly what she's got. And more turkey soup, of course.