Long time ago in Bethlehem, so the Holy Bible say,

I took last Wednesday off from work and sat in my sun-room much of the day watching the snow fall. I managed to get a lot of house work done, organizing our home office, loads of dishes, throwing out bags and bags of magazines and old bills . . . but I enjoyed the most just sitting by the Christmas Tree and listening to Christmas Music while attaching ribbons to ornaments and rehanging them on the tree. That was a real treat. Just a quiet day.

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Thursday was my first Victorian Caroler gig of the season. And it was so cold outside I could feel my toes freeze. We had another gig on Friday, where it was not so terribly cold, and afterward Janice and I went out to Vermilion in Old Town Alexandria for Manhattans, roasted olives, pate`, Virginia Rockfish with Chowder Froth and (Chowder Vegetables too.) Oh my. That is a restaurant to go back to often!

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Our Saturday began with me telling Rolf to get out of bed because we had to leave for Puck and Memae's, and it was already 10:30 and we were both still snuggled in bed. I don't think Bailey had even gotten up yet. I was all: "You have to get up now or we'll be late" even though I was tucked in tight too. He said: "We don't have to be there until four . . . " "No, we have to be there at noon!" And that got him moving. He hadn't even picked out his recipes yet.

The recipes were for the first annual Get Your Bake-on Christmas Cookie Baking and exchange. Along with Bailey we got over to their place in the Petworth neighborhood of DC at 1:30, and spent the rest of the day making and sampling cookies with Puck and Memae, Puck's Mom, their German / Italian neighbors, Memae's sister and friend, and their former neighbor Jill, with her baby girl. Soon we were joined by Jill's 2 year old son, and the German / Italian Grandparents 2 year old precocious jumping bean of a granddaughter.

There was so much laughter and hustle and bustle as cooks did relay races to the two ovens, that I laughed until I cried. Puck and I took the two year olds downstairs where we rolled out gingerbread men on the coffee table, ending up with two flour covered children who kept saying "I want to help . . ." The end result is that we were all covered with flour, and so was the couch. But it was all in good fun, and we laughed a lot.

Grandpa, upstairs was Italian, his wife was German - but had immigrated to Italy where they met and raised a family. They had just flown in that day to visit their daughter and family who lived next door. They were delightful. It was one of those times that makes Rolf look 20 years younger just from the look of fascination, wonder, and joy that colored his face as he listened to stories and practiced his Italian and told of our trip to Italy last Fall.

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Sunday morning we went to Little River United Church of Christ, where I'd been singing for a while. But I haven't been back recently - not at all this year. It was rough. I don't know the name of the particular mental illness I have, that causes my throat to close up as I attempt to hold back from sobbing - usually during singing Christmas Hymns - but it hit me hard right at the beginning of the service. Rolf just laughs. It was doubly bad since it was a Music Sunday Event at the church, and all the chairs were turned around to face the choir. It was so embarrassing, I started crying during the first congregational reading, and I had to laugh just to keep from sobbing. What is that?? Well, I got it under control after a moment - and took deep and steady breaths for the rest of the service.

We were there to hear the Bach Magnificat. The choir was joined by flutists, cellists, timpani, bass, violins, and the organ. It was really lovely. And the power of the music, combined with the feeling of being with old friends was overwhelming and beautiful.

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We went home and plated the cookies for delivery to our neighbors. I delivered them to the nice man across the street who typically has my sidewalk and driveway plowed before I get out of bed on any snowy day. He growled at me when he saw me, which was scary - but what he said, referring to the plate of cookies as he walked across his lawn carrying firewood was: "I don't know what that is, but it looks delicious."

After a nap, while Rolf watched football, we went to my nephew's church for Christmas Caroling and a walk through "the town of Bethlehem." Complete with a live nativity, sheep, and a donkey.

And then we made it to Benny and Ronnie's annual Christmas Party where we played with TJ & Shannon, Sherri & Russ, Matt, Sherri, Jeremy, (ah . . Jeremy . . so cute.)

Bennie and Ronnie had hired a pianist to accompany Christmas Carols, and a guitarist and bassist to provide live music down stairs. TJ asked them if they knew "Mary's Boy-child", which they didn't but they riffed on it any way while he did a rap on it. It was just Sherri, Rolf and I paying attention . . . and rolling with laughter.