So far, our holiday plans have turned out well. Our Christmas began with the Hafla, the performance-for-families   of her belly dancing group in Bennington Vt.

The belly dancing performance was a big deal for Maria, a kind of coming out. She is still working it out. I was very proud of her for doing that, more importantly, she was very proud of herself.

We did not exchange any gifts on Christmas, we did go over to the Mansion to read to the residents and sing. We’re doing that again on Friday.

We had a lovely Christmas Eve dinner with friends, I cooked two pizzas, one was overcooked, the other undercooked. But they tasted pretty good.

I gave Maria a picture book about sloths, which is about the best present you could give Maria. But I told her it wasn’t a Christmas present. Maria gave me a new pillow to replace the one Bud ate, but she said that wasn’t a Christmas present either.

Christmas afternoon, we went to see the new Will Farrell spoof, Holmes & Watson, we loved it. Then we had Japanese food.

Our Christmas was simple and quiet, we were mindful of the spirit of the day, rather than the bargains available online.

I hate to sound huffy and pompous, but we seem to be an aspiritual country right now, measure our lives and civic nature only by money and taxes and keeping the “others” away.

Still, life is what you make of it, and we thought about our holidays and they turned out well for us. Everybody has the right to shape their own Christmas, it has taken us a few years to figure out ours. We are getting there.

We are thinking about New Year’s Eve, Thomas Toscano has invited Maria and I to come over to WBTN around 8 for a New Year’s Eve bash with pizza.

Sounds right.