Wednesday – Christmas Eve in the Office

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I came to work this Christmas Eve, when everyone else seems to have taken the day off. I'm taking all the days between Christmas and New Year's Day off, but Christmas Eve seems like a waste of vacation time when you take into account that we get early dismissal, anyhow.

The 8th floor was completely dark when I got off the elevator at 8:30. I had to find where the light switches are. I made a pot of coffee, and because I hate waste I will have to drink the whole thing and thus should be wide awake should I decide to take in a Christmas Eve church service tonight. Since I have a 40 mile drive home, it wouldn't be a bad idea to make a pit stop at the Lady's Room before I leave this afternoon, after drinking all that coffee. Still, I'm up to the task. There aren't a lot of things I can do well, but I make a damn good pot of coffee, to the point that I won't drink from a pot made by anyone else (other people on my floor always put too many of too few grinds in the basket, and can't be trusted).

My Christmas cards were mailed out on Monday, and should arrive in everyone's mailboxes on or around New Year's Day. They may be "late" as far as you all are concerned, but I'm very impressed that they will be postmarked before Christmas, which makes them "on time" in my book.

( Peace, love, joy, and all that other jazz… )

Wednesday – The First Christmas After

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The first Christmas after your mother dies of breast cancer is not the worst one, believe it or not. At least, it wasn't for my family. My mother died October 6, 1984, when I was 15 years old. By the time the holidays rolled around, we had settled into the routine of grief rather comfortably, or at least as comfortable as you can be with a jagged hole cut into the fabric of your reality. The feelings of a bad dream we couldn't wake up from had evolved into a sad existence we were determined to muddle through. More than two months after the funeral, we were still talking about my mother in the present tense, and we felt obliged to make it a good Christmas because we knew she wanted us to.

( Novocain Noel )