I will start taking down Christmas today. I’m ready. I already have a couple of bins up here waiting to be filled then stored for another year.

I will miss the colors of Christmas, the lights lit every night. It is no accident that Christmas comes in the dead of winter when everything is sleeping, when the trees are bare and the gardens empty. That is when we crave color most of all. I like to sit in the living room with the Tree lit. It is beautiful, filled with lights, with white lights and colored lights. The white lights go down the middle inside the tree. They are the night stars. I will miss this tree.

Today is dreary. First off, I didn’t get my newspapers. It is a good thing I’m staying home today as no papers makes me grumpy. I read a bit on line, but I really missed my papers in hand. It has been raining. It started yesterday and continued for a bit into this morning. Right now it is just damp with a temperature of 47°, Warm still for this time of year. Tonight will stay almost as warm. The rain will be back tomorrow.

My dance card is empty until Monday, PT, then on Tuesday and Wednesday uke. I prefer staying home this time of year. I get to be warm and cozy all day. Translate that into staying in my flannel pants and hoodie and slippers. I watch old movies and snack on crackers and cheese. Cheddar is my latest cheese of choice. Brie preceded it. Any meals are haphazard at best. Today is one of those days, starting after the missing papers.

When I was a kid, I got new pajamas and slippers to wear every Christmas. I loved both of them. The slippers were slipper socks with soft leather soles you could drag and make noise. The tops were knitted cotton. I remember my big toes eventually poked through . My mother sewed the holes shut. I have a really old pair upstairs, more thread than cotton. I wear them every now and then. They keep my feet warm if I wear socks too.

I see a dump run in my future, always something to look forward to, as if… I do have an errand at the grocery as my friend Tom used to say. I want some egg nog before it disappears from the stores. I’ll get a couple. I need tortillas and jalapeños. I hope there is risotto. I also like to be surprised by something which catches my eye but not today. Did I mention wam and cozy?