i'm dreaming of a pink christmas.

Listening To: Where Soul Meets Body by Death Cab for Cutie. Tis the season.
Line Obsession: "Once upon a time there was a boy who lived in a house across the field from a girl who no longer exists. They made up a thousand games. She was Queen and he was King. In the autumn light, her hair shone like a crown. They collected the world in small handfuls. When the sky grew dark they parted with leaves in their hair." - from The History of Love by Nichole Krauss

Tis also the season for swag.

One of my most girly tendencies is my proclivity toward pink. I'm not Doloris Umbridge or anything. I don't even wear pink that often. But as a bright pop of color, I don't think pink can be beat. I like that it's bold and feminine and that it can be elegant or wacky depending on the shade. I love pink flowers. I sometimes paint my nails a pink color that can only be described as "Barbie-Jeep-Pink." I love to wear those pink suede shoes in the header with a black dress. Or jeans. Or pajamas. (Confession: I can't wear them for long durations anymore because, weirdly, the shoes are too big now. ? I've long suspected that I'm shrinking. At this rate, I'm fairly certain I'll just disappear someday.) Valentine's Day makes me smiley because of all the pink hearts. And candy. Mostly candy but the pink hearts rock.

I like pink book covers too.

I had nothing to do with the covers of my books. (Writers almost never, ever do ... which you probably already know. I didn't know that until I started writing.) But I think it's fun that they're both crazy-pink.

I think you need some pink this Christmas. And I think you should be able to share the pink with someone you love. So I'm doing a rather fun giveaway.

Following is the swank up for grabs:

* Two copies of Paperdoll. And both copies will go to the same person. The idea is that you get to keep one ... and you give the other one to your best friend, your sister, your roommate, the girl you mentor, your Bible Study leader, etc. Maybe you can read it together and chat about it. Or maybe you know someone who would love to read it but can't afford it. Or maybe you just want to use both copies to steady the wonky legs on the couch in your apartment. The books are good for lots of things.

* Two Scrumptiously Bizarre Chocolate Bars. I picked these babies up solely because of the hot pink paper. Because they fit my theme and what not. But then I thought -- hmmm, what if I, unknowingly, bought gross candy for my giveaway? What if my readers never trust me again because I mail out dirt-flavored candy bars? That would not be acceptable at all. I want you to feel like you can trust me when it comes to matters of chocolate. So, in the name of research, and because I care so much about you, I bought one for myself. And they are so good. They flavor is dark chocolate & raspberry. I get that dark chocolate isn't everybody's thing. It is definitely my thing. But if you hate dark chocolate, then you can pass it along and totally make somebody's day. Regifting! (Chocolate note: if you're in the mood for a special treat, or looking for quirky stuff to fill up gift bags for the holidays, this same company makes a candy bar that's ah-may-zing with dark chocolate and candied ginger (they carry them at World Market). The wrapper is green though. Didn't mesh with my giveaway. But they're tasty and the pretty packaging makes them extra fun.) (Nerd note: I love hand-lettering, cool typography, and quirky fonts. I wish my Blackberry had an app like Shazam, but for fonts instead of music. Because that "chocolove" font on the edge of the wrapper? WANT.)

* Two bright pink Essie shades. My fabulous mom bought these for the giveaway. How sweet is that?! Mom shares my love for fun nail color, even though she tends to keep it classy and I tend to go, um, quirky. (She has informed me she is going nowhere near the dark green I've been rocking here lately ;). In the words of Stacy London, these pink colors are "totes adorbs." They look like chic-bubblegum in a bottle.

* And, finally ... two fine-tip pink Sharpie markers so you can underline and doodle and make notes all over the pages of your Paperdoll. The markers are fun. I wrote with them a bit, just to make sure they worked (see above), and all I could think of was Steel Magnolias. Do you remember when Shelby says, "My colors are blush and bashful!"

And her mom, M'lynn, yells, "Her colors are pank and pank!"

This giveaway is pank and pank, y'all.

And, I think, it is also super duper fun. I can't wait to mail it out to somebody. If you're interested in winning, this is what you need to do:

* Leave a comment on this post telling me your most favorite holiday tradition. It can be sweet. It can be quirky. I won't even get mad if you make me cry. I cannot wait to read what you have to say. If you don't leave a comment including your favorite holiday tradition, I'll just assume you're saying hey (which is also awesome) and that you don't want to be tossed in the random number generator *cute synthesizer music* to win this box-full of pink.

Also. I know many of you have already read Paperdoll. If you know somebody who hasn't, who might be into it, and you could mention this giveaway, that would be super.

On Wednesday, December 22, I'll draw a winner at 12:01 AM. Actually, I'm old and I go to bed early so I'll probably draw a winner sometime around 8AM on Wednesday morning. You get the idea though. Do note: this bundle of fun will not be at your doorstep before Christmas, but it should be there not too long after. Think of it like an extended Christmas. An extended pank and pank Christmas. :)

Whew! I can't wait to hear your favorite holiday traditions down in the comments. And did I mention that your comments on my freckle face post were way too sweet? They were wonderful. I loved reading about the sweet memories you've made your dads. Those comments made my heart hurt in a good way. I think that's exactly how a person is supposed to feel during this season.

I'll be back next week with some more holiday-fun posting. I'm hoping to introduce you to The Rogue Accountant's new sidekick ... a fuzzy little furball of a dog named Kramer. Kramer looks like a miniature Ewok. You are going to freak. Happy Weekending!