We were fortunate enough to have a lovely family Christmas with Mom and Dad and immediate family in Amsterdam – and that’s about all I wanted for Christmas this year. I think we are all realizing how lucky we are simply to be here and with each other after the past couple of years. Everyone is getting older, and the fleeting nature of time impresses itself upon us in various difficult ways. For this Christmas, we paused as a family and enjoyed the company and the love. That merits a look back at this whole holiday season here, much of which was spent staving off the chaos and trying to focus on the calm and peace.
It began with the close of October, and the mysteries of Halloween, framed with a song and a hat.
Hints of the season began to hit more solidly in mid-November.
Thanksgiving came and went without a gathering, thanks to COVID.
December arrived with the holly and the ivy.
A holiday tablescape formed the centerpiece of a couple of dinners.
Two queens in a king-sized bed kept things cozy while outside the wind raged.
Sailing high above the world, to better view the ships.
Dreams and hopes of a Boston holiday.
Cooking for a Christmas at the cathedral.
The Holiday Card 2020: a peaceful affair filled with somber slumber.
The secret of the Russian holiday tea, revealed and laid bare.
With a hush and a wink, I sang my little heart out in this Christmas concert memory from decades ago.
Andy finally brought me around (read: beat me down) with a few marathon days of this Christmas classic.
While my holiday stroll with Kira has been postponed, after the calamity that was 2020, it doesn’t feel so earth-shattering – we opted for this look-back to bide the time until it happens.
An unconventional Christmas song.
The arrival of winter, on its second day.
Edelweiss and a shiny bright ball.
‘Twas the night before the night before Christmas.
The solemnity of Christmas Eve and the light recalled from a Christmas mass.
This marked the 50th Christmas my Mom and Dad spent together. A happy milestone for all of us.
