Here's what an excellent friend back in MA did with my rather grim picture of the Airstream and Darth Vader in the snowy hills of VA. I have been saying all along that whenever I felt a little desperate or unsure of what to do, that some angel would turn up and rescue me. Here I was, feeling sorry for myself about Christmas, and look at all those angels singing like mad, and generally making a joyful noise unto both God and me ! Darth Vader likes his lights too, and the peace symbol is just right. I wonder about the sheep, perhaps they are hoping I will invite them in for cookies. So thank you, Mo (angel that you are), now I have a wonderful way to send good tidings of great joy to everyone, where ever you are.

On Christmas eve, I went to church, an Anglican one which is indistinguishable from RC, and happily sang carols for half an hour before the service, more carols during the service and then went next door for eats. The wind was cold and strong and we had snow ! We bundled up, and the small historic brick church has old fashioned stained glass that glowed like a Christmas card in the dark night. It was good to be in church, to say the familiar prayers and kneel and close my eyes, revisiting an inside place of comfort. It was wonderful to sing, I really miss that especially at Christmas.

I have been making cookies and more cookies, and when I sort of hint that we can settle down and go back to eating more normally, faces fall. We here are finding much solace and joy in butter and sugar, which is really all cookies are with other stuff in for variety, and today we drove to a little town called Hico which has the best pies in Texas. They have 16 different kinds, bosomy lemon meringue and key lime, frothy cream pies, Black Forest pies, banana blueberry, and pecan and lemon chess and apple pie like a great brown pastry mountain shiny with juice. We ate our restrained soup or salads and then had pie. And bought one to take home. I used to call this season the festival of greed, too much stuff to buy and give and get, frosted with anxiety, followed by the thud afterwards as we all glumly looked at our loot and worried about our credit cards. Cookies appear to be the answer to this, no anxiety, people can eat what they want, and the only thuds afterwards are my foot falls.

The three kings worried about bringing the most expensive and impressive presents to the new born King, and chose gold ( always good) and two perfumes (for a baby?) when all they had to do was get their harems going on cookies. This superior present would have been difficult to transport on camels, but try to imagine the scene in the barn, with everyone munching on cookies, sheep, shepherds, ox, donkey and all, with the angels caroling and trumpeting away up above. That is Christmas!

So, I wish you a warm barn, jolly people around you, a cookie in each hand, and music in the skies in this dark cold time. Make sure the angels have some cookies to take home.