It is Christmas Eve and all is not calm, not even remotely! But that isn’t a bad thing. Just about al the gifts are wrapped, but none are tagged. I absolutely suck at tagging gifts, mostly who it’s from. So when I wrap, I put a post-it note on it with the name and the item. Then later I make my wife help me decide who it is from and I’ll do the official tag. Weird, right? Anyway, it is midday and I have battled the traffic, the supermarket crowds, and the snow. Yes snow; we had a little over a half inch fall through the early morning making everything white, and slippery. But very Christmassy!

We will go to my son’s house for dinner tonight and then back home to prep for everyone coming over tomorrow morning to open presents. I overdid this year, but I suspect a huge part of that was that it was year two of this damned pandemic and I wanted at least something to as wonderful as possible for my family. Immediately, we are still untouched by it, but it has hit a fair number of extended family members, happily none seriously. However we have – once again – given up eating out at restaurants, at least for a few weeks. I am so weary of this.

It has, sadly, impacted my joy for this holiday. I still feel the spirit, but not the deep peace and joy it often brings to me. Perhaps tonight once settled in for the night in front of a roaring fire…

I have to extend huge credit to the USPS, UPS, and FedEx as not a single present ended up late or lost. And the one or two that had issues, the sellers were amazing in rectifying those issues. Likewise with availability: I found everything I was looking for with no out of stock situations (aside from what you normally run into with sizes sometimes being out). Well done by all, this despite the dire warnings from the media that began in October about how awful Christmas would be due to out of stocks and late deliveries.

Dear reader, I wish for you that the spirit of Christmas fills your heart and home and brings you the peace and joy it represents. Stay well!!