December

Well ... It's that time of year again.

My tree is up. There are even a few wrapped gifts under it. We've hosted our two usual Christmas parties and now have a few quiet days. And I've gotten my requisite almost-cold, meaning today my voice seems to register somewhere between "lifetime smoker" and "Bea Arthur."

Around here, December is a month for big projects and random family gatherings. [As such, the camp dining room is getting a new floor and both of my siblings were in town last night for one night only.] It's also time for the yearly wrestling match where we try to talk Dad into giving us Christmas present ideas. In and around everything else, it's usually a chance for me to catch my breath, a break in the routine to evaluate the year behind and the year ahead.

Full disclosure: I am struggling with that this year.

2015 has been ... interesting. If I'm on top of things [ha!] there will be a summary post at the end of the month, but it's actually 2016 that I find particularly daunting.

The current political climate scares me.

The state of the world makes me sad.

We've got a big year ahead of us and I'm just not convinced we're up to the challenge.

And so I start looking for things to make me happy. Like Muppet movies. Chocolate. Snow forecasts. Recipes for rye bread. The end of my Christmas shopping list. Brown paper packages tied up with string with "Amazon" printed on the side.

"All I Want For Christmas" in a minor key? Yeah, okay...

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