I just finished shoveling the last couple inches of the light, fluffly snow that’s been steadily falling this past week. A perfect end to the best Christmas I’ve had in two decades.

Some highlights:

• Having my immediate family all in the same room at the same time on Christmas day. This in itself made the day. To my mom, dad, sister, and Bob: Thank you for making the drive, for spending the time, for being together on Christmas. Let’s not wait 15 years to do it again.
• Teknikal Diffikulties Advent Calendar Day 22: Happy Solstice[mp3]. While each piece of Cayenne’s Advent Calendar is enjoyable, this installment felt so perfect and comforting I stopped shoveling to appreciate the significance of the shortest day of the year.
• Taking a day-long break from 5 months of heavy programming (in addition to podcasts, email, and the internet as a whole).
• Jeremy’s fantastic home-made butternut squash ravioli on Christmas Eve dinner
• Cooper making a bee line for the simple wooden train under the tree on Christmas Day.
• Assembling Cooper’s new trike.
• Cracking open a Wake-n-Bake Coffee Oatmeal Imperial Stout from Athens, GA’s Terrapin Beer Co. last night after the day was done. A tasty, frothy brew, paired well with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream. Thanks Pat.
• Only a single holiday-related dramatic incident that sorted itself out quite neatly once the moment passed.
• As I write this, Cooper is sitting in the tallest snow bank in the yard. Content as can be.
• The entryway shelf overflowing with holiday greetings, cards, photos, and letters.
• Me: “Cooper, What does Christmas mean?”
  C: “Um…People come over.”