When last we left our heroine, four days ago, she had been sprawling ignominiously across the ice of a local pond. Since then she has picked herself up, soothed her aching muscles with hot bathes and lukewarm bourbon. And then there has been much wrapping, losing of gifts, finding of gifts, assembling of gifts, opening of gifts, and the subsequent enjoyment thereof. There has also been family and food and more family and more food.

When attempting to put words to keyboard, I am somewhat overwhelmed with the exquisite chaos of the last few days. I will say this: Christmas at age 4 (that being AJ�s age, not my own, of course) is pretty much like being king of the world for a day. AJ was in a state of euphoria from Christmas Eve morning until he went to bed last night.

A brief summary of the weekend�s events:

I spent Christmas Eve morning my favorite possible way: baking with AJ while listening to the Lessons and Carols service from Kings College, Cambridge. We made two coffee cakes and heaps of persimmon cookies, all from my grandmother�s recipes. We all took marathon naps in the afternoon (even, much to my surprise, a very excited AJ) and headed to our family party and the home of one of my husband�s cousins in the evening, where AJ was remarkable. Normally extremely shy and clinging to my legs at such events, AJ was suddenly Mr. Suave. Perhaps it was his new striped sweater with the elbow patches and blue shirt �just like Daddy�s� that gave him his newfound confidence (pictures forthcoming).

When Santa made his annual appearance at the party, bearing a sack loaded with gifts for the great aunts and the children, AJ�s gift was the first to be handed over. Where in past years he has hid from Santa, he strode right up and shook Santa�s hand and received his gift � a wooden airplane, which he proceeded to fly in all kinds of daredevil maneuvers all around the house. But he loved the toy even more when his second cousin JR, age eleven, came up and admired the plane � he had spent the evening talking about Howard Hughes and aviation and had received a book about planes from Santa himself. The two of them disappeared with their gifts. We found them when it was time to leave, sitting on barstools in the basement rec room, chatting away like a couple of old men.

When we got home, a very sleepy AJ sprinkled reindeer food � a mixture of glitter and oatmeal made at preschool � on the lawn around the chimney. He carefully selected some cookies for Santa and place a plate full of them with a glass of milk on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. He reminded us several times not to build a fire in the fireplace, even though we haven�t done so in over a year. And then we sang some Christmas carols and he went to sleep.

He came running into our room at seven a.m. saying he thought he�d heard the reindeer on the roof. We went downstairs and a tornado of paper quickly appeared in the living room. As soon as we�d decimated the tree and stockings, we got dressed in our Christmas finery and piled into the car for round two of the gift extravaganza at my sister-in-law�s house, where we spent the rest of the day.

Today has been blissfully quiet. I�ve been able to enjoy my new kitchen radio � something we�ve missed since we moved here, as our reception has been terrible except in the car until now. AJ has been playing with his racecar set, his castle (where the knight and dragon are perennially landing in jail while the horses take naps on the carpet) and the pile of games he received. We took a break from all the game playing this morning to build a pair of snowmen outside his window and decorated them with crazy hats, eyes and buttons that came with a decorate-a-snowman kit he received from his cousins.

This evening I escape toymania for a local drinking establishment with fairlywell while we discuss the poor judgment of lass who has for some unaccountable reason decided to spend her short holiday with her family instead of drinking with a couple of internet buddies. I know! I don�t understand it either. Some people just can�t keep their priorities straight. But if we�re feeling magnanimous, perhaps we�ll raise a glass to you, Miss Lass, and hope you can join us next time!

I hope you all are having happy holidays, whether you�re celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or just the joy of a day off of work.

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