m,

I’m thinking maybe some new fish tomorrow. I don’t know. Currently, we have an algae issue that is like sheets of slimy spinach over everything. A disgusting but accurate description. I think it will be solved with a tank clean and some drops. And some new fish will be lovely for Christmas, until they die.

I love that currently, K.Lo is matter-of-fact about death. “Your flower is dead.” Or, “That fish is dead, let’s go flush it.” I don’t know how long it will last, or if my answers about heaven and so forth will satisfy the customer. Also, I waited until yesterday to tell her that our friends who lived three doors down moved to another neighborhood. I told her on the way to their new house. Call that mean, but I call it crafty. Or lucky that she took it so well (for now). The not-quite-4-year-old doesn’t need extra drama in her life, so I made it seem perfectly normal that one day our neighbors decided they needed a bigger house and so they sold their old one and bought a new one. Which, it is normal, but you know what I mean. Had I mentioned it earlier, I think the conversation would have been focused on the loss of neighbors, rather than the practical matters, or whatever you want to call them.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I plan at the moment on going to the quasi-midnight service, which is at 9:30PM. I hear there are candles for all and beautiful songs. I considered the 4PM service, which included an activity for kids, but we did an impromptu Nativity pageant at church on Sunday, wherein K.Lo dressed up as an angel, and I think that sufficed. I’m kind of looking forward to going by myself.

Presents are mostly wrapped. We did not go big this year. It’s the first Christmas morning at our own house, with the usual traditions at my parents’ house over the weekend, so I am sort of pinning down traditions, figuring out what they should be on one hand and then easing back into: it will be whatever it is. Maybe lamb chops for dinner on the Eve, and eggnog French toast at some point? Or perhaps just eggnog with rum. Somewhere there must be eggnog, is all I know. And rum. Also, we never did stockings growing up, but to fill out our present stash for the kids in an affordable way, we ransacked the dollar bins at Target. I kind of think that’s going to be a highlight of the morning, stockings.

I still haven’t watched “Love, Actually,” a favorite, and all my Muppets were on VHS, so we are unable to watch without a functioning VCR. All broken in ‘09, so sad. However, the Grinch has been recorded, “Charlie Brown” viewed several times, as well as “National Lampoon’s” and “Rudolph.” Oh, and the moment of missing my entire ornament collection, as opposed to the small stash displayed on our 2009 Charlie Brown tree, did arrive and stayed briefly. Next year. It will come too quickly.

I await your second essay and the needle tale.

love,

pen