I haven’t celebrated Christmas since 1994. This will be the first in thirty years. So, what will I do to prepare? Well, artsy stuff is my usual. My sisters came up with plaster ornaments to paint, and I am busy in the paint wars, sloshing color onto dwarves and things in spite of limited ability due to arthritis in my hands. I am living in my Grandfather’s farmhouse now with my sister. My wife, the Jehovah’s Witness, who doesn’t celebrate the formerly pagan holiday that Witnesses find offensive, is still living in Texas, completing her Teaching career, not planning to retire for four more years. We are not divorcing, only separated, me for health reasons, and her for the continuing paycheck.
Dwarf #1 is not complete yet by a long shot. Only his face and hands are actually in place. (And a face does include a beard.)
If I needed a positive omen, this bald eagle came to sit in our farmyard as I was painting the dwarf’s face.
Catch a Falling Star 