Come So Far (Got So Far To Go)

I began my day by finally opening the present Linda said to wait until St. Nicholas Day for. I realized why when I opened it by the tree. They're three books about Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. I'm reading the first, The Autobiography of Santa Claus, about Santa himself and the legends that have sprung up around him over the years. I can barely put it down. I've known a lot of the stories about St. Nicholas/Santa, but here they all were, collected and in first-person voice...and mixed with the stories of many other "legendary" historical figures, from Attila the Hun to Amelia Earhart. Fascinating and fun. There's two more, How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas, about Nicholas' wife Layla defending Christmas after the Puritans banned it in the 1600s, and The Great Santa Search, about an outraged Nicholas participating in a reality show searching for the "real Santa."

I was going to go to the Camden County Library for volunteering this morning, but my porch was still icy when I woke up, and considering my track record with wet steps, I thought it better not to risk it. The porch was slowly melting by the time I headed to Collingswood for counseling. I noted a box on the porch for me, but didn't have enough time to get it then.

I chatted with Scott for the usual hour, mostly discussing my troubles with Christmas. As he said, I'm fine and busy for the weeks leading up to the holiday. It's the big day itself I'm having trouble with. Rose may be going skiing on Christmas Day. I was really hoping we could spend the day together, but she's starting the Rutgers Law School January 7th and wants to get her vacation before classes begin. She says she doesn't know if she's going yet or not. I wish she'd make up her mind.

I came up with a list of ideas in my offline journal last month in case I get stuck alone again on Christmas afternoon. Maybe I'll volunteer at a soup kitchen, or treat myself to a fancy dinner in Philly, or go for a long walk or bike ride if the weather's nice, or just hang out online.

What I really wish is all my far-away friends and family could be in one place, even for a few hours.

I stopped at the Treehouse Cafe in Collingswood for a late lunch of hot chocolate and a pizza bagel, then walked home, picking up my package on the way in. It was another one from Lauren. I'd mentioned to her during a chat that I hadn't bought myself a copy of the wonderful recent version of Hairspray that we saw last summer yet and couldn't find a copy of the recent two-disc re-release of the odd-but-fun Beatles movie Help! anywhere, so seeing them in the box was great but not really a surprise.

What WAS a surprise was what else was in the box. Lauren bought her niece a Tickle Me Extreme Elmo - an Elmo doll that literally rolls side to side with electronic laughter - last Christmas, and liked it so much, she got one for herself. This year, she sent me the Cookie Monster version. He's really cute once you get him going. Just press on his tummy, and he falls over in baritone guffaws.

I spent the rest of the evening watching Hairspray and wrapping gifts. If you're a musical fan and you haven't seen this yet, put it on your Christmas list pronto! It's an absolute blast from start to finish.