Christmas and Cardgames.
Heh! my tolerance for awesome must have grown over the years. For once, the dinner didn't put me right into a food coma, and I was awake and alert for everything. I played a card game with the fam, which was brilliant because of my cunning strategy of not actually caring if I won or lost, just if I was having fun. I have some shouty, competitive types in my family, and blithely taking my wins as well as my losses appears to rattle them. <3
We had three S.O's at the table, two of which spoke Espanol, so the whole dinner conversation was made colorful with Spanglish. Makes me wish I could speak it more fluently, but I speak body language and charades juuuust fine. ^__^
I've had more booze than I'm used to, balanced with a lovely loose leaf tea blend Martha had hidden in her cupboard somewhere (Oh man, she has this BEAUTIFUL little tea strainer, and so many big, pretty cups! I was in love. And they don't even drink tea often, they just HAVE this stuff hanging around. It's fun finding cool things people have and reminding them they have it, I had like, three people watching me drink this handsome red fusion and swirling the leaves at the bottom, and all of us were going "COOOOOL!")
Life is good. I'm aware and happy, and might go for a walk so I can actually sleep a bit.
I'm far too old to believe in santa claus, but I do believe in a winter spirit of goodwill: an elusive, warm presence which fills houses and doorways, street corners and under bridges, apartments and high-rise condos--anywhere people are. When the nights are long, and the days are cold, and all the world just wants to hibernate somewhere warm and eat, something is invited in with us. We share, we eat, we give and receive what we have with eachother that sends an unspoken message: Hey. I want you alive and here with me. Be warm, be healthy, eat and drink and share your stories with me while we look forward to the warmer weather.
It's an old, ancient thing we invite into our spaces with us this time of year, regardless of what religion we observe or what holiday we're celebrating. I hope sometime, in someway, you've all encountered it this winter. It's good stuff.
Peace and love, all of you marvelous creatures. Grimm Out.