I’m going to work today. I probably won’t stay long and, for sure, I won’t get much done.
It’s just a chance to go in on a quiet day, put a few odds and ends to rest, call a few people to wish them Merry Christmas, and wander around the building without having to deal with some crisis or other.
Being that it’s Christmas Eve, there’s seldom a lot going on which makes it kind of nice. Peaceful, I think, is the word I’m looking for.
At any rate, I’ll probably be home for lunch and will just continue to putter for the rest of the day basically making sure that the dog doesn’t chew any more Christmas tree ornaments and keeping our granddaughter out of the presents.
I’ll help my wife a bit with cleaning and pester her to bake some cookies and maybe even the chocolate pecan pie that’s the hands down favorite in our family. Truth be told, I think that pie is a big reason our grown kids come home for Christmas. It sure disappears quickly when she puts it out.
To help keep the stress down, I’m going to pretty much ignore the news for the rest of the week.
The situation in Iraq, the price of oil, the mess in baseball, slumping housing sales, global cooling - which is what’s coming after the current warming period if history is any predictor – will all continue to unfold pretty much as they will. I’ll worry about them and other things later.
Neither will I concern myself with any presidential candidate’s latest goof. Politicians have been putting their feet into their mouths and doing dumb things since about the time Moses wore short pants. They’ll still be at it next week. Don’t think I’ll miss anything earth shaking by ignoring them either.
I’ll also not pay any attention to any foolishness foisted upon us by the ACLU and the PC hordes around the country. If I think about them, I get spun up pretty quickly, so I’ll just set their foolishness aside. If these folks can get themselves all a-twitter about the mere mention of Christmas in a public place, then they’ve got issues far beyond any help I can give them - which would mainly be a word of advice telling them to get a grip.
One big thing I won’t worry about is whether or not what I eat this week will be good for me. Sorry, but there’s never been a calorie conscious meal served in this household over the holidays. Honey baked ham and eggnog rise, for a time, to the top of my food pyramid to be very cheerily consumed. Anything with the word "Lite" attached is usually tossed into the garbage can where the racoons can turn up their noses at it too.
I’ll spend some time listening to Christmas carols and trying to keep our 3-year-old granddaughter giggling as much as possible. She loves my reading her "The Cajun Night Before Christmas" because "Poppy sounds funny."
I’m going to pick up my son at the airport. He’s been away for several years teaching in Japan. I’m not going to let on but I’ve missed him badly. He’ll be bringing his fiancé along with him for a visit. From what I’ve come to know about her, he’s probably saying the same prayer I said 36 years ago. "Please God, just don’t let her open her eyes until after we’re married."
Other things:
I’m going to put some fake antlers on my dog’s head. Seeing him wandering around looking like that should be good for a laugh.
I’m going to build a fire and keep it going all Christmas Eve and all Christmas Day. A good fire just seems to make the house a lot warmer. Al Gore and John Edwards can just shut off their swimming pool water heaters for a day and I figure it'll all balance out.
I’m going to read the story of the birth of Christ to remind myself what all of this is really about. I confess that I need that.
And, right here, I’m going to thank all of you who’ve read this column and especially thank those of you who’ve taken the time to write. You’ve been great. I hope that some part of the joy this holiday represents finds its way into your homes and lives.
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