Beautiful, beautiful by the river today. Very cold, with a cloudless sky, light wind, bright winter sun, river sparkling and blue. Treated myself to a large cup of tea and stayed a long time: frozen toes and fingers finally drove me away. As close to peaceful as you get in downtown NY. Runners and dogwalkers fewer than usual, traffic very thin -- able to jaywalk across the highway, no need to wait for the light to change! A Christmas miracle, that. Was reading on the Velveteen Rabbi's blog yesterday (new link, above) that someone said Christmas has come to be close to a secular Shabbat -- a day when, perforce, there's nothing to do but stay home, be with friends and family, think about spiritual matters. Of course, there's lots else to do; some people are working (I always did, and in fact, as soon as I finish this blog, I'll be writing, as I do every morning); and it sure doesn't always work out that spiritual matters are the first thing on people's minds as they gather with family. Still, there's a calmness about the energy on Christmas that I've always liked, a sort of critical mass of peacefulness. Hope you all have a lovely, reflective day, wherever you are, whatever you do.