Merry Christmas!

Outside is ugly; it’s cold and rainy. I left my Christmas lights lit all night so the yard never got dark. Down the street, my neighbor’s house was also lit all night with their house outlined in lights and a few inflatables on the lawn. We kept the street festive.

I have opened gifts from one sister and spoken to her to thank her for the great presents. I’ll open the rest of my presents when I finish here. The coffee is ready. I can smell it in the air.

When I was a kid, the first look on Christmas morning was over the bannister at the tree in the corner piled with toys in front and no floor space to the back. There was no particular order to the toys, to the piles, but I knew which one was mine, right away. Sometimes it was second on the left, partly in front. I remember the bike hid all the other presents. I remember another year when the Sorry game was leaning on another game. Another year I found toys after I had seen all the gifts. My mother had found them in the back of the closet. She sneaked them into my pile but I found them right away. We both laughed.

My mother artistically arranged all the toys in front of the tree. I remember dolls sitting in high chairs or sleeping in carriages and tea sets ready for the party. When I was older, the gifts were wrapped. They were the surprises, as good as Santa’s surprises. Our stockings were always the best, with little gifts falling over the top edge and spilling into a bag. They were all wrapped too. I loved my stocking. It was the stocking of legend.

The coffee is ready. I heard it beep. I’ll also have a bit of the bread my neighbor brought. I think it might be banana. That sounds like a good start to Christmas Day. Late in the afternoon, I’ll have my Christmas dinner. Right now it is on to the gifts piled in the living room.

Have a wonderful day and a Merry Christmas!

When I was a kid, this was the longest day of the year. I wanted it to be dark. I wanted to fall asleep. We’d start asking to go to bed round five. My mother would said no and continued to say no until the real bedtime. I always figured the fastest way for Santa to come was if I fell asleep early, but that didn’t happen. Once I was finally in bed, I tossed and turned and checked out the window every now and then for a weird light before I finally fell asleep. That Santa might have had a flight path never occurred to me.

I remember riding my bike to the store one Christmas Eve. There was no snow. I was getting either bread or milk. We always needed bread or milk or both. I was headed to the white store. I remember thinking Christmas Eve should be for loftier trips than to the corner store though I probably didn’t say loftier, maybe bigger, more important trips. After all, Christmas Eve is a special day unlike any other day.

This morning it snowed for maybe five minutes. The flakes were big and far between so only a few flakes stayed, but the amount doesn’t matter. It snowed on Christmas Eve, arguably a small amount for a miracle, but a miracle nonetheless, the most thoughtful of gifts.

A Christmas Carol was on TV Christmas Eves when I was a kid. It was the Alastair Sim’s Scrooge. It became my favorite. I was older then. Bedtime had less significance. I was excited by all the colors and lights of Christmas, anticipation, getting gifts and being surprised, but I could sleep just fine and there were no more peeks out the window.

Today is grey and cold. I’m going nowhere and I’m staying in my Christmas pajamas. I have a new pair, well half a new pair. The pants have a blue background and white silhouettes of deer, bears and wolves all amid a forest of different shaped white Christmas trees. I look festive. Groceries for the next few days were just delivered. Dinner for tomorrow will arrive later. The dogs each just had a frosted covered Christmas cookie. One got a hat and the other a decorated biscuit. The biscuits were from Wüfers. Henry licks his first while Nala just eats hers in no particular order. I have decorated trees for them for tomorrow and a few other small surprises, all decorated with icing. The cats are getting special treats and a couple of new toys with catnip. They both like catnip. Gwen is becoming furry again. She is starting to look better. I am so glad.

Tonight will be quiet, but I’ll scout around to find A Christmas Carol I haven’t seen. The films are getting more difficult to find, even the bad ones. They do make me chuckle, the bad ones. I’m on my third Christmas Carol today. This one is way different: All American Christmas Carol. Cindy, the Scrooge sort, has three kids from different fathers. She is described as trailer trash as she actually lives in a trailer with her kids and is on the brink of losing those kids. The ghosts are showing her why and how to be a better parent. It is bad but interesting all in one. I love the pink beauty salon and all the pouffy hair. Meatloaf is crazed. See the movie for more. If I can last, so can you!!

I leave you with one story from the annals of my family history. It was on Christmas Eve. We were all at my parent’s house in their small kitchen doing one job or two. My job was the shrimp dip, the rage at the time. I emptied the glass jar of sauce and shrimp into the blender and turned on the blender but forgot the top. The sauce flew all over the kitchen in a circle on cabinets and doors and through doorways. It was a mess. The clean-up took a long time though everybody helped. It is the year of the shrimp dip. That says enough in my family.

Enjoy your evening!

Thank you to all of you and to all of you goodnight.

Merry Christmas!!