2020 Life Logs, Day 359: Christmas Day
Date: Friday, December 25, 2020
Weather: Rainy All Day and Very Windy: High 55, Low 30 Degrees
Location: At Home in The Cottage, Falmouth, MA

For three days, Heather, Jed, Sam, Jonah, Ollie, and I put aside all the issues of 2020 that we would all like to forget. We all seemed determined to enjoy this Christmas and we did. We feasted, played music, exchanged gifts, talked to family and friends far away on Skype, Zoom, and on the phone . . . and we just played. Reality will return soon enough, but we will have wonderful memories to cheer us when things get tough again.

Today started early and none of us got as much sleep last night as needed. But we didn’t let that deter us. The gifts in stockings were opened first and then we took turns opening the other presents, of which there were many. Santa brought the boys a foosball table that was discovered in the basement which has been turned into a rec center for the boys. New window seat cushions from me were discovered in their bedrooms. New Gravitrax sets were received from Grammy Marti. All of which brought exclamations of joy. When it was time for me to get a special present hidden in the master bedroom, Heather got on a Skype video call with Justin and family. The present was a joint gift and I was in total shock when they rolled out an exercise bike. I was thrilled. The last gift to be opened was a joint gift to Heather and Jed from Jed’s mother and myself. It was a Roomba and the Goldpebbles were almost as excited about that as their gifts. As the day went on, they gave their Roomba a name. It is Kevin and they all are taking a role in properly ‘training’ Kevin. But it was heartening to see that some of the small gifts were equally cherished. Jonah loved the anaconda skin (I think I have the correct reptile) journal that Grammy Marti gave him And when I was talking to Justin and family later in the afternoon, Coco was totally engrossed in playing with a tiny Polly Pocket compact. Big and small, each gift was cherished, and there were lots of hugs and squeals of happiness. It was a very Merry Christmas, both here and in Puerto Rico. At dinner tonight, each of us talked about the one thing we are most grateful for this Christmas. I was impressed by Sam who said he was grateful that we are all healthy and could be together for Christmas. That truly is a gift. And if you celebrate Christmas, I do hope you found a way to safely enjoy this Christmas 2020.