I am Ridiculous Because . . .

• The battery on my old toothbrush conked out two days ago. I had already bought a new toothbrush to put in my Christmas stocking (hey, someone has to do it!) and I wouldn't let myself open the new toothbrush, because I had to wait till Christmas, duh!

• I had Logan take the turkey out of the freezer and set it in the downstairs refrigerator Tuesday morning so that it would have the required four days to thaw. I never once checked on it. Logan is very reliable. However, the refrigerator is not. Apparently it is set way too cold. At seven this morning when I went to put the turkey in the oven, it was still frozen. Fortunately, for the first time ever, I had decided not to stuff the turkey, but to make a separate dressing instead. The rock-hard turkey is now in the oven, complete with its paper-wrapped giblets, which I could not pry out of the neck cavity. I'm not sure when we will eat.
  
• I've been up since 4:30, too excited to sleep, last minute cleaning, wrapping one more gift, finishing stuffing stockings, folding one more load of laundry. I'm excited and happy, humming Christmas carols under my breath as I flutter through the house in my nightgown.
• I think seventeen people will show up today -- maybe a couple more or less. And yet, I feel it is a small gathering because of all those who won't be here. I'll miss Casey, John, and Sadie, my sister Valery, Colleen and her boys Robby, Billy, and Danny, Grandson Tom, his wife Nichole, and Mallaika, Rick and Kathy, and Hollis and Jason and his family, and Lynnette and Scott and family, and most of all, Ken and Robin.
• It's snowing and I'm thrilled -- I guess we do have a white Christmas after all.
  
• Some absent family members will be represented through tradition: Robin is here through the chocolate coins in the stockings, my dad lives through his crab salad, and my mother's legacy is clam dip. I'll serve Aunt Helen's cranberry sauce in my grandmother's cut glass bowl. Colleen's tradition is cookies, but we already ate all of them.
• People came, we ate, we exchanged gifts, and I came down with a rotten cold right in the middle of the celebration. I was fine this morning and now, ugh! And the turkey didn't get done. But, there was enough that was done, and everyone brought food and it was all good.
  
• And now I'm going to bed -- I hope I didn't infect anyone, I had no idea I was sick!

Ben and Logan, Kevin and Rachel share clam dip before dinner.
Logan poses with poster and letter from Alfonso Salazar, a high school friend of Robin's (Berryessa Art and Wine Festival with Red-headed flute player, inspired by Robin)Ben with his poster