Merry Christmas from Amanda, Thornley, Brick, and me.

It’s 4:15 and I leave work at 4:30. I didn’t take a lunch break today, so I can ethically burn a bit of time Xanging. I feel incredibly fortunate this Christmas, in large part because at this moment I am happy to be here. In a little while I will go home and that will be nice, but I’m not crawling out of my skin to get out of here. I like it here. Everyone is in a good Christmassy mood, and today I’m doing necessary and valuable things. (Primarily some year-end filing and purging.)

I barely remember the days surrounding Christmas last year. All I know is I still didn’t have all the tools I needed at work, I hadn’t received a raise yet, and the work was rough, and often out in the winter cold. None of my bosses cared much that it was Christmas, and they certainly didn’t do anything to show us they appreciated us at that time of year. Oh, wait, that’s right: we had a “Christmas party,” which involved pizza after we clocked out at the end of the day, with our boss’ family joining us to stand around in awkward silence eating pizza and drinking soda.

I work the day after Christmas, Wednesday through Friday. And I’m actually looking forward to it. A little normalcy amidst the craziness of family visits for Christmas. Both Tom and Cheryl are on vacation those three days, and I plan to spend that time taking care of a big pile of old files I have removed from Tom’s office. In early 2008 we’re reorganizing their offices.

I’m making the corn pudding for the Christmas dinner Sunday evening. I have a feeling that dinner is going to be something else. I can’t wait.

My brother coaches defensive secondary for the Quince Orchard High School varsity football team. Tonight they face Arundel in the Division 4A Maryland State Championship game, at M&T Bank Stadium, where the Ravens play. Needless to say, I will be there, and needless to say, I will be freezing my butt off. I’m excited for him, though, particularly because his football career has had a lot of downs with not enough ups like this one.

The game starts at 7 p.m., and after it’s over I am driving a dozen or so miles south to the Cap’n's Quarters, where I have been generously offered a guest bed. Tomorrow I’m being the Grunerts’ elf, then I hope to see many of you in the evening for their Yuletide Bash.

Sunday is our one-year wedding anniversary. Amanda works Saturday and Sunday this weekend, so we are still deciding how to celebrate Sunday evening.

Today is December 7, a day, as Stitch told me this morning, that will live in infinity. Having Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day early in Advent certainly adds poignancy to the Christmas wish for peace on Earth.

I cleaned the last of the camping equipment from my car this morning. (Yes, from the trip nearly two months ago.) I thought I had removed all the perishables long ago, so I was surprised-but-not-surprised to find a mold pie on the floor of the passenger seat. (Luckily, it was contained by the plastic packaging labeling it a raspberry pie.) It is nice to drive without a pot in the seat next to me and a tent shifting around in the back seat. It’s probably better for gas mileage, too.

Brandon, I do still have your tent. I hope to be at the Grunerts’ Christmas party, and I will try to bring it along then. I also have a dark drab-green wind breaker jacket of unknown origin if any of you gentle readers are missing one.

Did you know Hot Wheels only cost a buck? I want to buy some for myself now. The Chamber does an annual Christmas Party for the kids in the Salvation Army’s after-school program across the street. Chamber staff and Board members take names and get them gifts. I got my young man, Brandon, a Transformers toy (the Decepticon tank) and four Hot Wheels cars. I know that I would have loved to get those toys when I was his age, and the absense of a generational gap made me feel warm and Christmassy.

On the same shopping excursion, however, I had one of my first old-person moments. A young whipper-snapper was manning the register at K-Mart. I was buying some garland for our trees–basically beads and small pine cones on string. I had been very careful and gentle with them. Then this boy just manhandled them to scan the UPC and shoved them in a bag. They were getting tangled in each other and little bits of pine cone were getting all over the counter. I almost asked him to please be gentle because they are fragile, but that felt too fuddy-duddy; I tried just to go with it. The strands of garland are safely here at home now, and in fine shape.

Shadow is the official household Christmas kitty (not to be confused with wood-burning cats). He is napping on the back of the couch right now after a long afternoon of inspecting all the exciting decorations. Everything meets his approval. I’m sure he will be even more tuckered out after inspecting the Christmas tree, which we will pick up this week. The ornaments are all set to go, and this year we’ll be putting the tree in the living room where we can enjoy it more. I also have to decorate–for the 15th straight year–my miniature artificial tree, which goes on the dresser in the bedroom.

On Friday I found a used RCA surround sound system listed for $50 on Facebook marketplace, by a guy living about 15 minutes from here, west of Millersville. I checked it out Saturday. It was in good shape and I walked away with it for $40. It’s hooked up, and boy is it among the coolest 40 bucks I have ever spent.

Speaking of which, the Rezendeses just came over to watch Ratatouille. So I must go.