My office is currently full of chairs � ten, including the one I�m sitting in. I�m feeling rather cramped and it seems to be affecting my ability to work. Or maybe I�m just looking for an excuse not to. The reason for the chair infestation (which, incidentally, is also infesting the kitchen) is that we had the carpets cleaned this morning. The change in color is most horrifying � who knew the carpets were supposed to be white? AJ has been enjoying the change in furniture arrangement. He insisted on eating his lunch while sitting in a large armchair which has been temporarily relocated to the kitchen. And while the family room is without furniture, he�s been running laps around the room, stopping only to spin in the middle with his arms outstretched.

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Last night the whole family snuggled together in front of the TV for the annual viewing of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, which was always my favorite of the Christmas specials as a small child. One of the advantages of having a child is having an excuse to relive some of the nicer portions of your own childhood. That�s what nostalgia is all about.

We all enjoyed Rudolph, AJ most of all. But I have to say that life at the North Pole doesn�t look as good as I remember. For instance, Rudolph is far from being the only reindeer excluded from the reindeer games. Are you aware that female reindeer are not permitted to participate in such activities? It�s truly shocking (I accidentally wrote �schlocking,� which has just received my nomination for favorite Freudian slip of the day). Moreover, Rudolph�s dad talks about having to get "the women" back to Christmastown � heaven forbid they are allowed to travel, even with an escort.

There is some evidence of slightly more enlightened gender protocols in Christmastown. Female elves (recognizable by their pink miniskirted uniforms as opposed to the male green that seems to be tailored by Robin Hood) are seen working alongside their male comrades. But given the totalitarian direction of the workshop and the seemingly unceasing work hours, all accompanied by work songs about togetherness, they seem to be a communist model � just replace Mao�s picture with Santa�s and you�ll get the idea. Are those elves really happy? Or are they just unaware of the freedoms available in a capitalist economy?

I don�t know about you, but I can�t wait for Friday�s screening of Frosty the Snowman.

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