Today I got to see two of the three costumes we bought for Christmas – Santa and Mrs. Claus, and next week, the Grinch. I hope to purchase wreaths, decorations, Christmas snacks, and stocking stuffers.

We also bought a snowblower today – $400 altogether – so the aides can shovel the snow when it isn’t big enough for the regular plows. I’ve purchased a dozen strings of LED lights that blink and seem to move in Xmas colors.

Christmas is hard for the residents, especially those with no families to go to. At some point during the day, Zinnia and I will visit.

We talked about Christmas in the weekly meditation class. Everybody in the class wanted an Amish necklace, and fortunately, I had enough to go around. The chains play an essential role in our meditation classes; I see the residents holding them like rosaries.

We talked about the different sadness of a Christmas away from home, without longtime pets and kids. I think we’ll be talking about it a lot more over the next couple of weeks.

I’m raising money to pay for the snowblower and for some things the aides would like to buy to make a fun Christmas. If you wish to contribute, you can donate via Paypal, [email protected], or Venmo, Jon-Katz-13. You can also send a check to Jon Katz,  Mansion/Refugee Fund, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816.

And thanks.