Clearing Up For Christmas

This was actually taken a few days ago, but it illustrates how things felt here on Christmas Eve. You probably know already that it's been all rain and dark lately, wet feet walking and windowpanes rattling loose in their frames. I woke early on Christmas Eve morning, 5 AM, and things had settled and were quiet. Big change from all the punishing rain and wind that had still been going when I finally fell asleep after one.

Sleeplessness has been a theme with me lately. The side effect of this has been all the reading, Atonement, Five Skies, the Maytrees, and a lot of other little things that I nibble on. Three novels in two weeks isn't really typical for me. I'm liking it, though, and intend to keep on going. Next up - The Raw Shark Texts, to read with Kathleen and Lisa. I'm only a few chapters into it, but can tell I'm going to love it. I loved The Maytrees as well, which surprised me, to be honest. I tried to read The Living, Annie Dillard's previous novel, and just couldn't. But The Maytrees is poetic and simple, and has a generosity of spirit that I was ready for. It also has this sense, I think, of time as a character, and that is one of my favorite things in a piece of writing. One of my favorite things in life, really.

Maybe it was The Maytrees that cheered me up so much. It was one of the things that helped, that's for sure. The night before Christmas Eve, before the weather cleared, I did my own clearing up around the apartment, and now it's sort-of lovely there. Christmas at mom's was lovely too, Christmas presents, pajamas and knitting. The only thing I really wanted for Christmas was a cup of tea and some buttered popcorn in front of a movie. It's always nice when you can have exactly what you want.

Which is what I got when I woke up this morning and had a clear walk to work. Tonight I'm off to the movies again, Charlie Wilson's War. Bring on the butter!