Christmas

Ah. 'Tis the season. The tree is up, the air is chilly, the monkeys are lively. And you know, I'm thinking that while it is the time for holly berries, hot chocolate, and Advent calendars, for me it's also the season for:

• Avoiding monkey poop
• Avoiding making up my mind about people
• Letting grown-ups take pictures of their kids--in front of our tree
• Hearing Burl Ives mingle with the loudspeaker call to prayer
• Wrapping flat-rate boxes from the U.S.P.S. and imagining my mom and mother-in-law wrapping them instead.
• Admitting that I generally assume the worst in life and am usually wrong.
• Feeling grateful in a way that makes me feel very small
• Loving my husband and kids more than I ever have before

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...