Christmas crosswords

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate the holiday, Merry Paid Holiday From Work for non-Christmassy people whose jobs have paid holidays, and Merry Tuesday When Stores Are Closed, Dangit to the rest of you!

My husband gave me Crasswords for Christmas. Okay, technically I ordered it and wrapped it and put a gift tag on it, but I'm not to give myself gifts today so my husband gets the credit. My mom spent the night with us, so she had a chance to leaf through it. She wants a copy for her 65th birthday, if she doesn't pick it up from Barnes & Noble before March. I haven't started working the puzzles, but see that some of Francis Heaney's crosswords were previously published in Penthouse Forum (er, is that like the crossword forum?). There's a menstrual theme by Brendan Emmett Quigley, a Simpsons "Hugh Jass" theme from Francis, and the gayest crossword ever from Frank Longo. This looks promising. (And yes, my mom is pretty cool.)

We gave our son Ben two puzzle books this morning: Pat Merrell's Picture Clue Crosswords and Patrick Blindauer's Scrabble Sticker Crosswords (fill in the grid with sticker tiles, not a pencil). Man, I hope he likes these! I am absolutely trying to inculcate a crossword habit in the boy.

Also on the puzzle front, my husband gave me a soma cube, which I've been hankering for. I finally found a place that sells the cube! (Yes, I ordered this one myself, too.) It's smaller than the blue plastic one my dad had when I was a kid, but that's OK.