Winter holiday fun

With the library festivities over, Chex Mix made, the Christmas village up, and packages wrapped, I turned my attention yesterday to holiday greetings in the form of cards and letters.   It snowed lightly most of the day, which offered perfect weather for staying in and watching the flakes drift down.  I mail a lot of cards to family in the Netherlands and also to old friends who we haven't seen in a long time (some since college!).  In the course of looking up addresses, I found that one dear old friend had passed away.  That always puts a pall on the holiday, but we know that it's going to happen more and more as we age.

In the afternoon, we walked over to spend a few hours with dear friends and neighbors Mary and Manny who plied us with drinks and goodies.  We all opened presents and were pleased with our jigsaw puzzles.  Paul and I haven't done one in years, so this will be a fun thing to work on during another snowy day.

Because we rarely see our next-door neighbors now that it's winter, Gale and Alan will be coming over to our house this afternoon for more snacks and drinks.  I think that will be it for Christmas gatherings except for Christmas Day brunch with Chris.  On New Year's Day we're planning another First Footing, an old English custom which promises luck to the first person to enter one's house.  We're inviting neighbors and old friends for a relaxing afternoon without football.  

In between all this merriment, I'm hoping to get some sewing in and read a few books.  Right now I'm enjoying The Answer is No, a novella by Frederick Backman who wrote A Man Named Ove.   It's quite funny, especially for anyone who belongs to a Home Owner's Association and has to deal with the board.  I have a Christmas short story by Jenny Colgan to follow, so you can see I'm taking a break from mysteries and meaty reading for a while.