The day after

Well, as my father used to say, "Christmas is as far away as it will ever be". This was his comment for the day after Christmas. Today does have that "day after" feeling about it.

Christmas Day itself was a day filled with some ups and downs. The early morning of Christmas Day started with watching the Christmas mass from St. Peter's basilica. I'm not Catholic but the beauty of that mass, the little children from around the world, and the celebration of the birth of Jesus is the best way to start Christmas day.

Later in the morning, we took three cakes to the AA clubhouse where my wife attends meeting. I met some of the people that she knows. And there was a fellow sitting with his own thoughts. I heard him say that his family was driving him crazy, and it was a choice of going to a bar or coming to AA. He said that he already felt better after 20 minutes at the clubhouse.

For some reason, I found being there sad. It is a sort of dilapidated place in a rough neighborhood. There wasn't a tablecloth to put on the table. My wife commented that next year, we would bring red paper tablecloths, and a couple of poinsettias to make it more festive. But I think that the man who looked so despondent made me the saddest. Before my "let's fix him" thoughts got going, I realized that he isn't in a bar. He's where he needs to be. And he is among people who understand and will help because of that.

After getting back from AA, we finished up cooking. There was enough food for an army, even though we didn't make large portions. My wife's parents came over. They are in their upper 80's and have noticeably slowed down. Her dad enjoys sitting in a chair and reading the paper. Her mother has difficulty relaxing even at this age in life. I won't take her inventory but suffice to say that she is best taken in small doses.

We opened presents and had a nice meal. I was aware of the two empty chairs at the dining room table. My mother used to sit in one and my wife's aunt in the other. Once again, I thought that I want to have a house full of people who can share all the food that we prepare.

But then, I found that by the late afternoon of yesterday I'd had enough of people for a while, so I went for a ride in new Blue. It was a beautiful day with warm temperatures so it was nice to just drive.

Later, I visited some friends and watched a short movie that they are producing. One fellow is an actor and quite a good one. We had a lot of laughs over his role in the movie.

It was nice to come back to a quiet house, sit with my wife, and just reflect on the kaleidoscope that was Christmas Day.