Happy Merry Messy Snowy Steamy Holidays

'Peace on Earth' works, too

My Grandcat Buddy and his pal. We’ll miss Buddy this year, too.

Yes, the season is upon us, sneaking up and catching us unprepared, even though we’ve known the date was coming for an entire year. (Speaking for myself, but it goes down easier if I include you. Sorry.)

I really do love this time of year, but I’ve learned to live with ‘frazzled’. It’s my constant companion, and it gets even worse when Snowmageddon threatens to mess up the works even more. I’m at my daughter’s house in Southeast Michigan, and we’re still waiting to see if we’re going to be spared the massive snow and wind event they’ve been forecasting. So far, not much snow but the wind is fierce. I’m seeing reports of fender-benders all over Detroit. Ice on the freeways. Crazy drivers. Typical.

I wrote a Christmas piece a couple of days ago for my other Substack newsletter, Constant Commoner. It’s below. I do something like this every year and nothing much changes. This is how it is, even now.

How this Atheist Sees Christmas

I’m transferring chapters of one of my unfinished novels to Word, which, I’ll admit it right here, is not fun. Word seems to take great pleasure in hiding the easy ways to do things, so while I’m rewriting whole sections I’m also trying to figure out how to do numbered pages and chapters and to keep the damn thing organized.

I’m in the midst of negotiating another writing project that will probably fall through like the other one did, though I really would like to be a part of this one. Really. We’ll see how it goes.

I’m making a list in my journal, pretending it’s not New Years Resolutions, and I’m already pretty sure of the ones I’m going to break.

I have half of my presents wrapped and I think we’re all set in the kitchen for our Christmas dinner, which will be on Monday instead of Sunday, since two of the principals have to work on Christmas day. It’s not the first time we’ve had to do this, and we’re all fine with it. It’s being together that counts, not the day on the calendar. But if we’re missing something, it’ll have to do. It’s cold outside! I’m not going out there! (One degree and blustery as I write this.)

I’m trying to keep busy this year, more than usual. It’s our first Christmas without Ed and it’s going to be a hard one. He loved Christmas and he loved his place as the patriarch. It’s odd to sign only my name to tags and cards now. It’ll be odd to be last to open presents this year instead of him. I’m not quite sure how I’ll handle that. I hope I can do it without tears.

This is a Christmas card I made one year. Our snowy cabin is in the background and Father Christmas is coming to our house!

My best wishes and joy to you all, my dear friends.

If you can’t find joy, find peace.

Find beauty.

Breathe.

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