Here we are, post Christmas and pre New Years and I have a confession to make.  I had a fabulous Christmas.

Excuse the pj’s.  See those fingerless glove thingies?  They’re warm, and fabulous, and I loooooove them.  Actually, when it comes to the stuff of gifts, I kind of racked up this year.  I feel embarrassed by my good fortune.  Everything I received was something I’ve wanted for a long time, or would have wanted if I thought of it, and I’ve got a goofy grin looking at the boxes and bits of wrapping that still litter the living room.  Fringelings and Husband, also happy.

As I get older, I’m getting better about letting go of things that don’t matter.  I used to spend way too much time and effort picking just the right tree.  This year we gave Nerd Child money and sent him to the corner to pick one.  He is not one to obsess over these things.  Guess what?  It was absolutely fine.  Decorated and hung with our old familiar lovelies, it was more than fine, it was a perfectly Fringe-y Christmas.  Ornaments from places we’ve visited, different times in our lives, gifts from friends and family.

A handblown ornament I loved was knocked off by one of the beasts.  Smashed.  I wish it hadn’t, but it’s ok.  Here I am, proof of emotional maturity.  We won’t mention the huge meltdown I had when I didn’t see my cake stand when I woke up in the morning.  Guess I’m a work in progress, after all.  Turns out Man Child put it away in a place I didn’t think of, to protect it from Big Senile Dog, since he doesn’t seem to realize rules still apply, old or not.

During the day on Christmas Eve I was able to run over to my friend’s apartment and bring cookies for her and her husband.  These are two of the kindest, smartest, most generous people I’ve ever known.  They gave me a lovely gift, but having them in my life is a gift unto itself.

Normally, I make a big breakfast/brunch on Christmas Day (mostly prepped the night before), and we spend the bulk of the day in our pj’s chilling, playing with new stuffs, and an open door for whatever friends and family would like to drop by.  Big Senile Dog and Little Incredibly Dumb Dog plant themselves next to the table, just waiting for something, anything, to be left unattended.

This year Man Child did all the breakfast prep on Christmas Eve.  Good thing, because I hurt my back and just could.not.stand. for any more kitchen prep.  Would have turned into a throwback to the Christmas mornings when I was pregnant and on bed rest–Christmas bagels.   After the opening of the gifts, 8 gazillion cups of coffee, and breakfast, we took our time and then went to have dinner with Mr and Mrs Smitholini and their crew.

It’s been a long time since we were all together.  And by all, I mean the five of us and the seven of them, plus Mrs S’s brother.  Why yes, Mrs Smitholini and I were both quite, ummm, fertile in our younger years.  Our kids spent a lot of time together growing up.  We used to trick or treat together every year, when the Smitholinis lived in one of the outer boroughs, and I have a photo of the crew on their front steps, in costume, for about 10 years straight.  Every year there was at least one more.  At this point the age range is from 12 up to 22.  Most not really kids anymore, all with their own lives and schedules, and a rarity to have all in one place for the day.

I hope everyone had some peace and laughter during their holiday, whichever holiday you celebrate.  A moment where you felt love, kindness, and general silliness.

So yes, it was a beautiful day, peace and laughter and thankfulness.  I would appreciate it regardless, but we had a particularly stressful few days beforehand.  There was a glitch with our health insurance that is about 1/2 an inch from complete disaster for us, and then discovered someone hacked into our cell phone account and added 6!! lines and purchased 4 iPhones on our account.  Life, keeping it real.

I woke up early today and spent an hour and a half scrubbing the stove of the blackened, greasy remnants of the past weeks’ cooking and baking frenzy.  I should be working on Astonishing right now, but I’m a little stuck.  Again.  I hoped the fumes of bleach and Easy Off would trigger some ideas.  No such luck.  I’m thinking about New Years, goals for 2014, but not quite ready to write them down.

Not exactly Wonder Woman.  Not a wonder, not changing the world, no satin tights.  But all in all, not a bad close to 2013.