February 2007

February 04, 2007

Christmas 2006

As befits my regular updating :D, I want to show you the nativity scene that my wife and I put up for Christmas. Christmas this year was a very quiet thing; some friends invited us over for a Christmas Eve party (where I sampled some true Irish Creme—the stuff with the alcohol. In the words of Will Smith, “I have got to get me [some] of [this]!”). After that, we opened presents on Christmas Eve, in accordance with Nikki’s Christmas traditions instead of mine. We also put together the nativity scene whose picture I’ll be posting. I gave Nikki the digital camera used to take the picture: she’s been wanting one for a very, very long time and was quite pleased. It was a good Christmas, though we could have done more for the season. And probably should have.

It’s easy for me to overlook holidays, much as I do birthdays. But I regret doing so more than I do birthdays. One particular year, Christmas crept up on me by surprise and I gave no gifts to anyone of any kind. I got a few, but they gave me little joy. I felt a great deal of regret on Christmas, because I saw the great joy that my parents and siblings felt, but was removed from it. I felt like an observer, not a participator (not an uncommon feeling for me). I felt that I had missed something important. This feeling of missing something comes to me often, no doubt because of my tendency to watch life rather than live it. But it was worst that Christmas and I made a promise never to repeat that particular mistake.

I enjoy giving gifts and have some talent at it ... I give good gifts, once I put my mind and energy to it. I have good instincts for what makes a good gift, and a willingness to be extravagant every once in a while. It is a good trait, though one that doesn’t often see the light of day. This year, though not nearly so much as that one year, I came close to missing Christmas again... I hope none of you did.