happy christmas

So much for my promised silence; it's a couple of hours in and I'm just about done wrapping, reading, putting off sleep. Pretty much ready for the laborious food preparation of the late morning; we've strung the string beans, chopped a squillion peppers, sticks of celery, even onions (weeps profusely, but that's really a different story), and baked the rye to perfect crispiness for the massive tray of stuffing we always prepare. Always from scratch, it's the best thing about the Christmas meal for me; the rest is nice too, but this is the one element that I would ever really miss come a Christmas without feasting.

In living memory, this is perhaps the least cheerful I've ever felt at Christmas time, but I take solace in the fact that come the busyness of the morning, the hordes of loopy guests, the general mood of the rest, that it'll be smiles and good cheer aplenty because that's how it has always been. Lying through your teeth and smiling despite yourself, if not utterly crushing, can often send you the other way. Fickle; I feel cheery already. Have a great one!