A Weary World Rejoicing

Yesterday morning being the first day of December, I headed off to work while it was still dark. As I went out the door, the Christmas wreath newly hung sparked a smile of happiness on my way. In my work bag was a wooden fillable Advent calendar whose drawers I'd filled over the past weeks in preparation for this day. My coworker Sara and I had drummed up the plan to exchange calendars, and so add friendship as well as festive cheer to the days (and count-downs that don't involve cheese and chocolate, for the dairy-free among us). This happy tree calendar awaited me, with all its festive paint and waiting doors. The theme she chose was Christmas movies, so inside each drawer is a sculpey item or figure to hint at the movie. Yesterday, December 1st was "Holiday Inn". Today was "Elf": 'candy, candy-canes, candy-corn, and syrup'.

Dropping by home between work and tree-hunting, I found the clan busily at work arranging lighted trees in the circlescape above the front door.  I grabbed my Santa hat and laptop and headed out again. After curry and conversation, we headed to Home Depot to find a tree. The tree nursery was bitterly cold, so I deftly offered to take the baby back inside, and we strolled about looking at the cypresses and the bonsai trees, and trying decide what kind of plant might need to come home with me. Ben and Alyssa picked their tree, and Ben carried it on his shoulders. We agreed I needed the baby pine (pictured in the cart below). And we drove home in the frigid air to put it up in the livingroom and let the tree relax and fluff. We blinked sleepily and talked baby-talk to little J, and decided to watch Christmas movies next time.

Home to bed, noticing again how the moon shines through my lace curtains, bidding a good night's rest and light amidst the dark. Up again at dawn this morning, one where the body says "no, no, no". And so you say "look, Christmas lights," and "taste this sweet water" "There are many Advent readings of hope in the future of this day".

 

I did promise you anecdotes from work, but today's is merely: 'How Liv got very frustrated at the deliveryman who stood in her way making bad jokes until I had to tell him to move, because I was trying to put away 70 boxes and open the coffee-shop in the next couple of minutes and he was in my way.'

Not my most grace-filled moment, sorry my dude.

But I am not here to listen to your banter.

I'm here to do my job, and it's not always easy, and it's not even six in the morning.

Do not stand in my way.

I'm easily distracted today, but I've been reasonably productive. There were work meetings, and schedules. I enrolled in insurance, sent emails, made plans. Spotify wrapped came out today, and John Mayer won my year! He won several years ago, and then Shane and Shane hedged him out for several years running. But I've listened to more podcasts and audiobooks this year as well, read the news. "New Wine" was my most played song. And some of my favorite subgenres were vintage lo-fi and neomellow. I'm always intrigued by how much we branch out year to year. I listened to hundreds of new artists and genres, made so many discoveries. What an inspiring thing from what feels like an enclosed and stunted year.

Speaking of which! Another work-anecdote: one of our favorite regulars came by and we got to talking about how this has been the strangest year since 1968. I'd forgotten (if it ever lodged sufficiently in my brain) what a whirlwind of a year that was. But it was: MLK's assassination and the subsequent riots and protests, Robert Kennedy's assassination... Lyndon Johnson... the Nixon election... Vietnam... the space race. Like today: politics, war, racial injustice, violence, more politics.

 

Today I got my first Christmas card! And a bunch of others came in the mail that I'm meant to send out again. But of course I'm not sure that I won't make my own cards this year. I always enjoy doing that. But I will keep these in my arsenal to send out whenever I have a whim to drop some lovely missive in the mail. Let me know if you'd like to see something in the mail from me! (more on that soon)

I'm off to connect with folks over Facetime and Zoom, get some advent reading in, maybe read some of Lewis' Letters to Children. I haven't even gotten to the newest chapter installment of the Silent Bells yet, let alone had time to appropriately peruse my Times articles... If only there were twice as many hours in the day!

Blessings dear ones, catch you tomorrow!