Lots of warmth and strength, Beverly. I can remember if you are a hugger or not, but virtual hugs are short and sweet.

Beverly, I'm envisioning wrapping you up in the warmest, coziest everything that feels good to you. You are in my heart today (and most other days too, fyi).

Thanks, y'all. Hugs are definitely de rigeur, giving and accepting. Again, Laura with the wise. All of us have lost people and the absence is always there. But there are marker days when it's especially keen.

The neighbors are already all over Christmas, and I'm in don'wanna mode. It doesn't help that H grew up with no visible signs of Christmas till Christmas Eve, whereupon, magical tree, decorations, presents, candles in the windows and wreath on the door. All of which stayed up till Old Christmas, which I think on the Gregorian calendar is Jan. 16th or something. He strenuously fought moving up the timeline, so our neighborhood has always thought we are the laziest people alive, both coming and going, where Christmas is concerned.

I'll get candles in the windows, the wreath and the house flag out tomorrow, add holly to the half-basket of ivy by the back door, maybe tie a bow on the lamp post. But indoors will wait awhile.

Lots of hugs, Bev.

Warm thoughts for your step-cousin, sj.

Wow, you mean there's a universe in which getting the decorations up in the few days before Xmas is tradition? I'm all over that. I can't usually start the real cleaning until the 15th or so, so decorations always go up late in our house.

{{{Beverly}}}

which I think on the Gregorian calendar is Jan. 16th or something

Jan 7. My mom thought it was like Twelfth Night for quite a while, but it's just the two weeks that got skipped to fix the drift, well, the Pope said to do it so the Orthodox church didn't was the explanation that I got (my dad's explanations of Russian culture tend to be glib). The 15th is New Year's , which is also a church holiday, so leaving the decorations up to span all that would make sense.

We did not do the last minute decorating, but we did leave our decorations up until at least Rssian Christmas, as we called it, but really only observed it if we were visiting relatives or had them visit us. Conflicted with the start of Mardi Gras season in Louisiana.

My maternal grandfather used to decorate the tree on Christmas Eve after the kids went to bed, so it was part of the surprise for my mom. When I was growing up, we would decorate the week before Christmas. My BFF's family would decorate on Christmas Eve in a slightly smaller party than their big Christmas Day doings, which featured gifts for all and sundry, Dinner, noshing on homemade Sicilian style pizza and other snacks, party games, music, and watching movies.

We often decorate the tree on Christmas eve but that's not tradition, that's a combo of us being lazy and that being when family is over and more people makes it more fun.

It doesn't help that H grew up with no visible signs of Christmas till Christmas Eve, whereupon, magical tree, decorations, presents, candles in the windows and wreath on the door.

My parents did everything while we were sleeping on Christmas Eve until we were too old for them to manage it. There was also a period of time when Dad did the tree while we were at midnight mass with Mom, but presents didn't happen until morning. Then there was the wrapped presents were from the family and the unwrapped stuff from Santa. It evolved and changed through the years.

In my house we put the tree and decorations up as soon (after t'day) as we can manage it. But Santa doesn't show up until after the boys (incl DH) are asleep. Presents are under the tree with no names because this elf knows the color schema, but Santa leaves stockings filled and unwrapped presents.

I think I'll put my little tree up this weekend.