The Season is Upon Us...

Happily for me, the holidays are always moderate affairs and my gifts are almost done. I have three left and some donations. I will also get some cat nip and dog biscuits and do cards for the pen pals and some family and friends. I'm looking forward to Hanukkah dinner at a friend's at the end of the month and hopefully, the end of this cold.

Any shopping I've done has been online. It saves time and possible exposure to the hearty virus that has caused this cold. Truthfully, I'm not up to running around and braving crowds. I think this season, while it can be wonderful, breeds craziness, discontent and indebtedness. None of those appeal to me and I've never been one to give gifts for the sake of either getting something back or giving because it is expected.

My favorite part of this season is actually donating to others, usually anonymously.

What about you?

A Re-post from this day in 2009

It's a rainy day in the neighborhood and I decide to duck into a nearby diner for the soup du jour. A regular for some years at this establishment, I know the owner, the handful of employees and a part-timer or two by name.

As I take a seat at the counter, extend greetings to the proprietor and glance at the door, a man carrying a small boy enters. After carefully arranging the child and his toys in a seat adjacent, he orders their lunches, then spends several minutes playing quietly with the boy.

My soup arrives, and after the first bite, I hear the man, a British expat, tell the waitress that he is going back to Europe for a visit. She, a high school graduate, responds, "Oh wow...Is Europe in England?"

I see the dimmest smile begin to creep across his face...as he says with a wink:

"Well, not all of it, only the best bit."

Methinks our high schools need to re-tool their geography curricula, assuming they still teach that...

What do you think?