Dreaming the World

It’s early evening (3:53pm) on the eve of Christmas. There is just the hint of a sunset through the branches. It snowed lightly this morning and a skiff of snow shows here and there on the ground. It’s chill but not as challenging as were the past few days.

This morning I slept in a bit and by the time I made it to the kitchen the tea was cooling and Jennie was making bread pudding, which now resides in the on the counter awaiting sauce. I went to make coffee only to discover we were out of oat milk, which sent Jennie out to the local cafe store. She had planned to go to the pet food store before it got crazy anyway.

We spent the day preparing for tomorrow. We are an interfaith family so look forward to both Christmas and Hanukkah which begins tomorrow night, making tomorrow a huge day. This year lighting the tree and candles seems more important than ever.

I spent the day finishing narrative puzzles for Jennie and my daughter’s family. The trick is to make them challenging but not impossible. It’s probably my favorite Christmas ritual, and I’ve been making these puzzles for decades now; I still overdo the cchallenge sometimes.

After a few days of deep chill our cat seems always hungry. We’ve heard from a friend that her cat is the same. For the first time in days Nori went out on the three season porch for a while this morning. We wonder whether she burned a lot calories sitting on her perch in the cold. Jennie brought her a new cat toy from the store, which she loved immediately and spent a long time playing actively with it; more calories burned.

Our poor Christmas tree is rapidly drying out and tomorrow will likely be the last day we’ll have it in the house. We are grateful to it for lasting this long, against all odds. Yesterday a friend stopped by with a large wreath, as he has for years, apologizing for dropping it off so late in the season. He’s been down with the flu and still doesn’t feel great, so left the wreath on the porch. We were glad to see him up and about.

This Holiday seems more than a little strange as I am still recovering from my broken hip, and we lost very dear family this year. There are fewer gifts under the tree, reflecting their absence and reminding me of just how present an absence can be. Still, we’ve managed to get to a couple of seasonal concerts, and to stage a party for friends. We hope to get to a Christmas service and tomorrow family will come over for dinner.

It’s getting late and a deep quiet has settled over the village. All of our local wildlife has gone home for the night. I wonder where the deer will bed down this chilly evening. It’s time for me to begin dinner; later, we’ll likely have eggnog and desert, and maybe play a game, by the fire.

Here’s wishing that wherever you may be you are safe and well, and that if you celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah, or “Chrismaka” “as we affectionately call this time of year, that you have a truly lovely Holiday.

And to All a Good Night!!