Christmas 2016. Trying for ALBUQUERQUE Cheer.
CREATED BY THE TALENTED NORTH FOURTH ARTISTS
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, God Jul, Joyeux Noël, Nakutakia Krismasi Njema, Aeyadaan Saeida and Joyous Holidays in all languages and places and to all people who celebrate this time of year.
It is a strange time here in the U.S. Holiday music and lights and presents and good cheer abound…still everything feels a little off-kilter. The pleasure of family and friends and even a few hours here and there of actual Christmas-like weather is offset by an underlying sense of unease, disappointment in my fellow citizens—I’m like Charlie Brown’s Pig-Pen with the cloud of dirt that hovers over and around him; in my case the dirt cloud is the U.S. president-to-be and indeed he makes many of us feel quite dirty, filthy in fact.
Today and Tomorrow though…time to simply enjoy my kids and grandkids, in Albuquerque and California, my brother and sister-in-law here from Florida and still asleep right this moment; the Swedish meatballs, mashed potatoes, lingonberries, we’ll prepare for Christmas eve supper to serve with scalloped corn, herring-in-wine, brown bread and Costco apple pie (almost as good as mom’s); and simple presents (actually stacks of books and movie tickets) around the tree. There’ll be two dogs at the event this year which should add to the possibility of great photo opps.
Tomorrow I’ll get up early and bake a Hummingbird cake for the extended family gathering tomorrow afternoon. Then family—there might be one Shyster voter present so the conversation will be a tiny bit constrained—and more good food, and finally home to ponder 2017.
We talk of adding up the large amounts of money spent on food and presents, even though we are relatively modest in this regard, and next year dining on meat loaf and baked potatoes and foregoing presents and contributing the money saved to refugees. Hard not to think of the millions and millions of refugees around the world this time of year when we tend to indulge to one extent or the other. We might not do this good and right thing…but I hope we will. It is probably time to become one of the many volunteers who spend Christmas day giving of their time and plenty to others.
I miss blogging when I find myself in blogging-block so for the next few days I may deluge you with granddaughter, puppy dog and food photos. THEN it’s time to seriously contemplate what we will do about our new world order. Happy times or at least safe times to us all. Ho ho ho.
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- A RARE DISPLAY OF WEATHER IN ALBUQUERQUE. THANK YOU SANTA FOR REAL CHRISTMAS FOG
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- MAP OF GREENLAND AS BACKGROUND
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- MARSHA
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- ROBERT AND BUDDY (ROBERT IS GIVING UP WEARING CAPS WITH BILLS JUST SO PEOPLE WON’T THINK HE WAS A SHYSTER SUPPORTER)
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- GREENERY FOR THE CHRISTMAS TABLE
Thanks for sharing the photos and Christmas notes. The best present for anyone is a good friend and I am fortunate to have several, you especially. I am glad we have kept in touch over the years and I look forward to many more years and hopefully seeing you more often. Your “presence” is a comfort and joy to me. Merry Christmas, Marjorie.