It finally snowed! My spirits zoomed upward as the flakes spiraled down. Now it looks like Christmas outside.
Naturally, the snow disrupted Bumble Book Club plans. For the first time in 5 years we were forced to skip our annual Dirty Snowball at Cleo's because of the slippery roads. My family did get out, though. Mr. T's PS (parochial school) had their Christmas program last night, so while a blanket of snow muffled our small town, we sat inside the pretty sanctuary and watched 4 year olds with halos made of tinsel muddle their way through carols. Then the 5-8 year olds, spiffed up in their Sunday best, belted out painfully off-key versions of "We Three Kings" and "The Chipmunk Song." The grand finale involved 8th graders (in the same costumes I bet their parents wore 20 years ago) reenacting the Nativity. Video recorders glowed and grandparents cooed. Then we gathered in the cafeteria below for punch and cookies. Mr. D and I visited with people we haven't seen since summertime baseball games at the park. I looked around the cafeteria at the people clustered, kids playing tag and devouring frosted cookies (donated by families with last names M-Z) and my heart felt very warm. America's small towns still exist, in all of their chatter and familiarity their citizens keep simple traditions alive--like Christmas programs followed by punch and cookies in the basement of the Catholic Church. I've begun to feel like this town is home.
We drove home and as soon as Mr. D put the Momvan into "park," the boys bounded out to the driveway with their sleds. I passed Jax through the front door (on his leash) and they romped in the snow. When they came in, Jax tried to run across the kitchen to greet me--with wet paws--and promptly slipped and fell, bonking his furry head. Note to self: keep towel in laundry room to dry his feet before he steps onto the ceramic tile floor...
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Of course, finishing my manuscript revisions and mailing them back to my agent yesterday added to my sense of goodwill and joy. Embracing the mood, I baked a batch of cookies, enjoyed our still vertical Christmas tree while drinking hot tea last night before bed, and heard from a dear friend twice in one day--once by Christmas letter and once by phone. It's these pleasures--a long talk over hot coffee, finding snowpants that fit all 3 boys, the satisfaction of a huge task accomplished--that make this day bright.
Glad tidings, indeed!
Spill it, reader. What has you feeling the spirit of Christmas as you head into this weekend?
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