Christmas 2020

This fine post-Christmas Monday morning finds me at the kitchen table, eating a chocolate bar a friend left on my porch one night, drinking a cup of coffee made from beans passed to me through an open car window (that was how gifts were exchanged this year—quickly, from a distance, but with even more effort and care than usual). Barclay got me the latest Jimmy Eat World CD and I'm on listen number 25, at least (it's, predictably, incredible). The kids are playing outside and Barclay's in the basement covering the hole the plumbers left behind when they updated our sewer lines (so festive). I should be cleaning the kitchen but I'm on here instead, writing an aimless blog post like back in the good ol' days.

I'm going to spare you the post about how different Christmas was this year—except to say that, for better or for worse, it was the most relaxing December I've had in a long time. There was no loading up the car for multiple family gatherings, no last minute Christmas present shopping, no in-person parties. Barclay and I traded off work hours most days and spent the evenings doing puzzles and wrapping presents as they showed up in the mailbox. Watching old episodes of Newhart on Youtube. Playing Settlers. We spent one whole day making an elaborate 'gingerbread' house out of Rice Krispies and sugar cookie dough and we ate the whole thing too because it wasn't made out of stale, store-bought gingerbread, which I loathe with every taste receptor cell in my tongue (there are anywhere from 50 to 150, according to Google). We took the kids tobogganing almost every other night and had the hills to ourselves almost always because no one in this city understands the gloriousness of night tobogganing. At times, I felt like one of those families who moves out into the wilderness and cuts all ties with civilization in pursuit of slow living (except we still took advantage of things like electricity and our grocery store's Click 'n Collect service). 

It was mostly very nice, is what I'm saying, the quietness and to-ourselves-ness of this Christmas season—though I definitely look forward to the busyness and togetherness of next Christmas. 

Sorry, I failed so hard at sparing you the post about how different Christmas was this year. I was going to write a post about the upcoming year—resolutions, goals, whatever whatever—but this is what came out today. I'll try again tomorrow, maybe.

Until then, Merry Belated Christmas from the Wilderness Krauses!