Christmas Story

Dateline: Seattle, WA

Santa came again on Christmas Day. We had a lovely snowy day, presents to share with each other, and a lazy day of doing nothing. We ate breakfast at 9, went back to our cabin and did nothing all day until dinner at 4:30. Very nice.

Somewhere in there we watched "Elf", which was fun. The key moment for Santa's sleigh to get enough Christmas Spirit to escape the dreaded, dark visored Park Police is for the Dad to join in singing "Santa's Coming To Town". Before that the kids, the crowd, the Mom had joined in, but the final ooomph so the sleigh could gain altitude was for the Dad to join in.

We also watched "Love, Actually" and it is simply a fantastic, well-written and played movie. It will be around for years with it's many variations on love and relationships played out in a season when relationships are renewed, tested, remembered, regretted...

The movie begins and ends in the airport scenes of families, friends, lovers, children and parents meeting or parting with heightened emotions. Once, when Seth was about 8 or 10 we all went to SeaTac airport because I was off somewhere on business. Kathy and Lauren were giving me hugs and all that when Seth came running up, through his arms out wide like a showman, and exclaimed with a large grin "It's a Kodak moment!" We love you Seth, and you are with us every Christmas.

On Wednesday we bid farewell to Sleeping Lady and headed back over Stevens Pass to Seattle. While gassing the car I had to knock great chunks of ice out of the wheel wells of the car. The trip back was uneventful. We did have to chain up to get over Stevens and the new chains I bought two years ago worked great. They are a "no need to lie in the muck" design and it worked fine. We stopped in Gold Bar for lunch at La Hacienda and then rolled on home.

I have worked Thursday and Friday in a very quiet office. I'm throwing old files away, cleaning up piles that accumulate, and making up to do lists for the new year.

Today is Saturday. Lauren will be off for Portland later today to hook up with her pals from Lewis & Clark and for New Year's Eve.

Best to all for 2008.