Christmas Letter -- December 24

This is the Shutdown Christmas for sure in terms of things coming to a standstill for us.  We're not government workers but my husband's dad is quite ill, so we've been putting Christmas and Chanukah on hold, in case we need to fly to Florida to see him again (been there 3 times already this year.) He and his wife are in assisted living in Orlando, which we are finding is NOT the happiest place on Earth for us this season.

We didn't buy a tree to decorate as we usually would, in case we had to be away suddenly.  We only burned half the candles in the menorah at the beginning of the month, because we had to leave to see him four days into Chanukah.  I didn't get a chance to wrap presents and barely opened up our boxes marked "Christmas Decorations" set aside in the new living room by the movers when we moved here in October.

It's been wait, watch, hope and pray for the best, but be ready to go at a moment's notice.

This morning I decided to do some Christmas things just to make me feel happier, no matter what we do the rest of the week.  I unpacked our wooden Nativity figurines and set them up -- three wise men, animals, a shepherd, an angel, parents and a baby.  So glad to see them again. I wrapped some presents. I set up Christmas Toy Story Woody in his chair on the breakfast table. (He used to say, "I've got a reindeer in my boot! but his string doesn't work anymore.) Still he has a dandy red velvet cowboy suit.

There's one feature of our new house we didn't quite like, the fact that the front door opens right into the stairway and banister, but this morning, I realized it's PERFECT for hanging the stockings with care. I loved seeing them hung up in a new house in a perfect place. It's all the way you look at things, isn't it?  A little thing can make all the difference.

You might be stuck in crazy holiday travel traffic, on land or air.  You might be overwhelmed with family and friends (maybe too many, maybe too few.)  You may be far from home. I know this is a holiday where many newly divorced or separated people are feeling sad. Try to enjoy the good parts if you can.  Hope you can have yourself a merry little Christmas, and underline the word little there -- just enjoy the little things.