Queen of the universe

That would be me. Do you know why? Because I just completed a good 80% of my Christmas shopping. Mr. Squab met me at Marshall Fields downtown after work; we went up to the 8th floor to see the Holiday installation (it's Cinderella this year, one of my very favorite fairy tales - I memorized the little golden book version when I was two); we went to the Oak Room for supper (I had the chicken pot pie with a spinach salad); figured out what we were going to get whom and strolled around the skyway system from shop to shop. Downtown was all decorated with lights and evergreens, and since it was a Monday night the stores weren't too crowded or picked over. We turned the radio to the oldies station on the way home - they play all Christmas music between Thanksgiving and Christmas - and started getting into what I believe is called the "spirit of the season." It was a really lovely way to get a jump-start on the shopping, particularly for a couple who typically waits until about December 22nd to even begin shopping for presents. Now I just have to figure out what I'm getting Mr. Squab for Christmas ...