Xmas was a great success. Among the many fine items I received from my family were a pair of very sharp knives, many good books, a couple of awesome t-shirts, DVDs aplenty (Wonderfalls, Neverwhere (replacing my third-generation bootlegs VHS tape from ten years ago), etc.), and other charming items to delight and divert. I was a successful giver, too.

The day itself was pleasant, with a nice meal at my sister-in-law's, music, River eating vast quantities of dinner rolls, and playing games with my nephew. We saw a flock of wild turkeys, which went from the front yard up to the roof, down to the back yard, and then scampered up the ridgeline. I didn't tell them we'd eaten one of their distant relatives just hours before. Heather and I took our gifts, including a bazillion toys for River, back to the house and watched Love Actually, our favorite Xmas movie (it would be a perfect movie if the handful of crass fat jokes were excised).

We had a nice long weekend, and are having a pleasant Dead Week so far. My new story is coming along well, having grown to over 6,000 words. It's possible I'll finish it before the year ends, though I'm not certain; depends on how motivated I feel tonight. River and I had a great time at the park yesterday (it was a weirdly pretty day), and this morning he was still snoozing at 8:15 a.m. when I left for work; a New Year's Eve miracle. Tonight Heather and I will have champagne and toast the coming of the New Year together. I hope you all close the year in a beautiful way.