Made it to Another Christmas!

Wow! Cool!! I heard a drum beating, and looked out onto the main street--the local soldiers are parading down the sidewalks, laden with Christmas gifts for the local poor kids in their rucksacks and leading off is a truck with a big Chistmas tree and the US and Marine Corps Flags flying...hurrah! What a nice thing to see on Christmas eve morning! Sadly, this is the second year I wasn't able to donate a new toy to the Marine Corps Toys for Tots campaign, but I'll do my best to get back on track, next year.

A lot of people think Americans are rich, but to put things in perspective, over 300 million homeless (that's just the one's the govt. admits to) reside in the US---many families and single mothers with children...and more and more, these people were middle-income Americans less than 10 years ago. Food pantries that supply free food to the elderly, unemployed, underemployed (low income workers) and disabled cannot keep up with demand this year...so if you live in the US and are reading this, please donate food, this year. Your local church or town hall can put you in touch with your local food pantry office.

So, I'm quite tired, but a relaxing morning. Had a Christmas treat of my favourite cheese and crackers for breakfast, chatted with some friends, with two offers of getting a copy of DW RB after Christmas---a Christmas wish come true, ha-ha!

Yes, post-Christmas promises to be unpleasant, but today and tommorrow are turning out to be much better than I'd ever have hoped for. I'm sitting chatting online with friends, the sun is shining, the Christmas music is playing (O Emanuel--the only Christmas song I can play (by ear) on the keyboards)...and the cats are fed and lying contented in the sunlight streaming through the front windows.

I've a nice Christmas dinner planned, and the cats have a prezzie or two...who can ask for more? It's hard being alone at Christmas...but I'm not really alone, this year, am I? So spending the day without family or friends physically present, isn't as bad as I'd feared, as I know that I'm thought of. Brillant!