As if to test my appreciation of the little ironies of life... A few hours after my saying on HHW that I'm not so great at being on the receiving end of gift-giving, I had my first official visitor at my lovely, but teeny-tiny, new guest house digs -- an old friend who was going to take me to lunch -- and who arrived bearing a gigantic bouquet and a HUGE gift basket from Trader Joe's -- two bottles of wine, cheeses, chocolate bicuits, gourmet savory thins, cookies, nuts, a beautiful nutcracker, ground coffee, etc. etc - all done up for Christmas (although we're both Jewish). I was astonished! Very appreciative, of course, but astonished and a little embarrassed. I just kept saying, "Oh! Thank you! Thank you!" (And thinking, "I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy...")