Thursday, December 15, 2005

A week and a half to go until Christmas, and I'm so far behind I can barely contemplate it. I bought Christmas cards last Friday, and they are sitting in their unopened boxes on a table in my living room, awaiting addresses, greetings and elf dust*

I have roughly two dozen people I want to buy gifts for. So far, I've purchased exactly four gifts. Two of those are for the same person.

The decorations are almost nearly done. The tree was completed last night, and it's beautiful. And with waves of precipitation passing through DC with disturbing regularity, what I've done on the outdoor lights will have to suffice for this year. They're lovely, I just would have been happier with more.

Yet despite the length of my To Do list, cheer is outpacing pressure by a healthy margin. I saw my buddies The Chromatics do a Christmas concert right after Thanksgiving, got to be part of a Christmas choir myself this past weekend, and will be going to see the fabulous Jen in the Washington Revels tomorrow night.

The aforementioned snow has meant actual White Christmas scenes around these parts, something of a rarity. It's been wonderful driving around seeing the wintry, cheery landscapes and neighborhoods.

I've started my viewings of my favorite movies and specials of the season. Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town and the Reginald Owen version of A Christmas Carol are under my belt. There are many, many more to look forward to, chief among them the George C. Scott Christmas Carol and It's a Wonderful Life. A Christmas Story will be saved until the 25th, which I figure I'll catch at least two times through.

So there's much to do yet, and much to anticipate. Sums up what's best about the holidays pretty well, wouldn't you say?

* "Elf dust" is a metaphorical term. No actual elves will be ground up for magical powder and included in the envelopes.

Posted @ 8:06 AM

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