Last night’s sunset. After two days of heavy, heavy rain, we woke up on Christmas morning to green grass and no snow. The rain drove the snow away. I called it a “Reverse White Christmas” on Instagram. The temperature reached the high 50s on both Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but then, as winds came in yesterday afternoon, it plummeted. It’s now in the 20s.

I’m fine with it.

Christmas was lovely, quiet and joyous, just the way we wanted it. Other than spending some time at Rick and Doug’s for the past few years, our Christmases are usually just the two of us – our families are far flung – so it wasn’t really different than the usual. I made french toast in the morning since we are no longer having our usual coffee cake – it has way too much sugar. Then we opened presents. We had opted for a modest Christmas – only three presents each and nothing big. (We have yet to see two of our packages that are mysteriously missing.) I got something for the dollhouse and a book. Don got the new Paul McCartney album on vinyl and a planner. Since we had sent each other links for exactly what we wanted, nothing was a surprise. Surprises are harder the older you get, right? We don’t need all that much and we certainly don’t need something we’ll not use. I was pretty clear about my birthday presents as well, though Don did surprise me with that work table!

Don made an apple pie in the afternoon. Dinner (both of us were involved – yes, I cooked a lot yesterday!) was the best ever. We eat a Holiday Roast by Gardein and, frankly, it’s better than any turkey I ever ate in my non-vegetarian days. Along with that, Don roasted some vegetables, I made cloud biscuits, and finally – finally! – I made mashed potatoes that were exactly how I wanted them!  They came out exactly right. Huzzah!

We danced. We sang. We laughed a lot. A perfect Christmas. Mere sent a couple of packages for us – one from her and one from Little Z. We had a lovely FaceTime call with them later in the day.

Couldn’t have asked for anything more.

Today is sunny and very, very cold.

We’re going to lay low today, though I just sent Don to the post office to get some stamps. Don is going to work on some music and I suspect I’ll work on the English dollhouse and read.

I hope you had a lovely day yesterday, filled with peace and love. We’re heading to the end of the year, a year I will gladly kick to the curb, though I always qualify that by saying there has been much that is good in this year, as well.

Happy Saturday.

Stay safe.

From another time. There’s still snow on the ground here, but it will soon leave as we’re getting 1-2 inches of rain today and tomorrow. This photo was from a couple of years ago when we had a surprise snowfall early Christmas morning.

It’s Christmas Eve. Our missing presents are still missing with no updates from the postal service. Our intention this year was to give each other three modest presents. We’re both missing one present so we have 2 out of 3 on hand.

We watched The Bishop’s Wife  last night. As always, we are struck by how simply wonderful it is; subtle, heartfelt, impeccably directed and acted. It has become one of our favorite Christmas movies. Tonight: It’s a Wonderful Life.

To say that 2020 has been a year to remember is the definition of understatement. It has tested us in many, many ways. A year like no other. Last night, we prayed for all those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. For healthcare workers and first responders who are desperately trying to save lives. For all of those who are struggling to put food on the table. For those who have lost their homes due to the fallout from this pandemic. For those who should have had help from our government for every month of this pandemic and received nothing. So many people lost. So much of it needless.

I will be so glad to see the end of this year, but as I said to Don yesterday, I also want to be present in this holiday season. It’s a struggle.

I know so many of you are going to be alone this Christmas. I feel for you. Thank goodness for FaceTime and Zoom and all of the wonderful innovations that help us see the faces of our loved ones, especially at a time like this. I’ve been alone on Christmas – not too many years ago, in fact. It was hard, but not as difficult as I had imagined it might be. Don and I opened our presents from each other during a FaceTime session. Though we would have given anything to be together, we knew we couldn’t be, so we girded our loins and got through it.

May we all stay safe and remain rigorous in following CDC guidelines. On the other side of all of this is everything we’ve been missing. It will come again. Honestly, I had a little meltdown the other day about mask wearing and how sick I was of it, etc., etc., and I’m not even out all that much! It’s to be expected. But we will see light at the end of this long tunnel. Just as we’ll see light on January 20th (declared an official holiday here in the Hill-Sparks household.)

We lost Rebecca Luker yesterday to ALS. She was only 59. I wrote about Rebecca and her husband Danny Burstein earlier this year. She had the voice of an angel. I had the honor of working with both Rebecca and Danny several years ago at the Old Globe in a musical version of Time and Again (along with the great Howard McGillin.) Danny and Rebecca met on that show and eventually married. I was already a fan of her luminous voice and talent. What I learned while coaching her was that she was an incredibly kind and loving being, as kind as she was talented. So is Danny. I spent much of the day yesterday listening to her voice, to the beautiful phrasing and placement and the clarity of emotion that was present in everything she did. My heart goes out to all who loved her. Broadway has lost a great. The world lost a magnificent person, much too soon.

So it’s a bittersweet Christmas for many. We remember those we lost this year. We remember our parents and siblings and children and beloved pets who have moved on. We feel their absence.

Seek joy. Though it’s sometimes hard to conjure it up, it’s out there.

I’m taking the day off tomorrow, so I will close this by wishing you a Merry Christmas.

Thank you for being here.

Stay safe.

Happy Friday.