On the Third Day of Christmas ...

I'm home again and in the "returning to somewhat normal" phase of the holiday season. I say "somewhat" because I'm coming more and more around to the idea of the liturgical calendar, where Christmas starts on December 25 and continues to the night of January 5. What we generally call the "Christmas season" is actually Advent. I like the idea of all that time being for preparation, and then you really start the party on Christmas. Otherwise, it seems like a lot of buildup for just one day. Not that I'll be doing serious partying, other than New Year's Eve. I just like the idea of living outside "normal" (or what passes for it around here) for a while.

In other words, I have to return All Clear to the library January 2, and I'm only halfway through a re-read of Blackout, which is feeling almost like a first read because I'd forgotten it all (I'd have been lost in the second book if I hadn't re-read), so this may be a big reading week. Good thing I have no ballet or choir, and there's nothing on TV.

I had a wonderful Christmas. We watched a lot of Doctor Who (LOVED the Christmas special, and getting to see it on Christmas night). We ate. We read. I got some new cookbooks and baking pans (I think I should make something for tea this afternoon). My brother added to my tea supply with a red tea, non-caffeinated spiced chai, which should be great for drinking at night when I want tea but want to sleep at a reasonable hour. My mom and I went in together and got my dad an e-reader so he could sit comfortably while reading some old favorites of his that he'd discovered at Project Gutenberg. It may be one of those signs of parent/child role reversal when you're buying your parents toys for Christmas and you're getting (and asking for) housewares.

I've already talked myself out of running errands today because I think I just need a quiet day at home to read and to get back into the swing of things -- and back to work on the book. I stayed off the Internet the whole time, aside from checking my e-mail a couple of times on my phone and doing some tech support for my parents. I like occasionally disconnecting from the virtual world, but then getting caught up again can be a pain because the rest of the world never seems to disconnect entirely.

Maybe we need to have a big "don't post anything online" day so we could all take a break without missing anything or having to catch up.