All cookied out

I say this every year: after all the anticipation and preparation, what a shame that Christmas is a single day event. Suddenly here, then over in the blink of an eye. Nothing left but the mess and extra pounds.

In wiser times, December 24th was just the start of 12 days of celebration, ending on January 6th, Epiphany Day. A wonderful way to eat up some of the darkest days of winter.

Well, with illness in the family at the moment, we'll celebrate when we can and it will be lovely as usual. My purpose in life is to keep the house stocked with food-- which means another giant Safeway run this morning.

The year draws to a close, and as you age, that underlying feeling of sadness and loss seems to go hand-in-hand with Christmas joy. No parties for us, but I saw some old friends this week which really brightened things up. 

And ukulele group was fun yesterday. We strummed our way through the whackiest of Christmas carols. That should hold us over until next December.

Cecil was there with his harmonica. He will be 100 years old in January, born the same year as our Dad. Talk about Christmas inspiration. And still driving himself around Seattle. Yikes! Living proof that music keeps you young. 

Have a good weekend, dear friends and family.