not on my list

I'm slowly realizing that, sometimes, the things missing from my Christmas list are the things a person would rationally and objectively think I could use the most. Things like my coffee maker, which was purchased seven years ago for about 15 dollars. It never fails to let half the grinds pass into the pot and it leaks more often than it doesn't. And I don't know if it's because I'm stubborn, or because I'm thrifty, or what, but I look at that old coffee maker most days and just think, what a damn good little machine.

With all the baking I've been doing over the past few months, I probably should have bought an apron. But I took an old dishtowel, and an old cloth belt, and stapled (yes, stapled) the two together, creating a perfectly functional, albeit unattractive, apron. And I appreciate it the way I appreciate t-shirts from Goodwill — already worn out, so I don't have to worry about being the first one to stain or tear it. It's already stained and torn. Comfortable. The way I like things.