Seasoned greetings

Seeing as it's December now, and also that it snowed yesterday (I realized that the problem with snowy weather here isn't so much that nobody's really used to it; or even that it is a wet, slippery kind of snow that can make driving a bitch - it's that there's very little snow removal equipment, and a teeny-tiny little snow removal budget...because apparently we don't get winter here. Kind of like a week ago, when the temperatures dipped below zero - in Canada, gasp! - and the new hi-tech trolley buses didn't work. Because even though they have ice-cutters on the poles, they read the frozen trolley lines as dead. Imagine that! Sub-zero temperatures in late November! Ooops. Sorry. Ranting again!)

Anyway. Back to the December/snow thing. I love how quiet everything seems with the snow, and how bright it is at night. How all the edges of the city are softened, and it starts to feel like Christmas.

I'll admit, I'm a suck. I love Christmas. Solstice. Fusilli Fest. Whatever. We're toning it waaaay down this year - and in fact, I'm already liking it more because of that. Instead of stressing out about shopping, we've got at least one party to go to every weekend between now and New Year's. Instead of worrying about travel plans on winter roads, we're staying here, looking forward to a mellow week of laying low.

I set up our "tree" today. (With a rescue by Mr.Q when the cords and threads of our new hanging-star-thingy started making me nuts!) It's wee. It's cheesy. It makes me ridiculously happy. I listened to The Grinch while setting it up.

The cats were a great help. As always.

Now I'm geared up for 3 weeks of mulled wine, eggnog, carolling, light-looking...maybe we'll actually get down to see the carolling ships this year!