December 20

Monday, December 20, 2010

The morning began with a monster hunt for Puck. He came in to cuddle under the covers.

“Quick! Get under the covers!” he exclaimed. “The monsters are coming! The monsters are coming!”

In the kitchen during breakfast…

OLeif had a pot of cinnamon on the stove to add moisture to the dry winter air.

And Puck, who had found his daddy’s little deck of playing cards, was having fun learning magic tricks.

“The Queen of Hearts!” he exclaimed, setting a card down on the counter. Then he giggled, “That’s not the Queen of Hearts.”

He pulled another card from the deck.

“The Queen of Hearts!”

“That’s the Two of Spades,” Collette told him.

He pulled another card.

“The Two of Spades,” he said.

Another card.

“Shapes. The Queen of Shapes! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!”

Into the day…

The weather was neutral. Skies were silver.

A storm system seemed to be developing over California, as Francis had reported the previous afternoon. And freezing rain and snow were due on Christmas Eve. A White Christmas was very possible.

Earlier…

Collette had asked Puck if he was going to have fun doing ‘man things’ with his daddy while she was away in January.

“Are you going to hike with Daddy and eat beef stew out of a can?” she asked him.

“Yes!” Puck exclaimed. “Tomorrow?”

And Collette had tried to explain that he had about five weeks to wait before this could happen.

Before lunch, Collette removed the pink and white ‘grow-your-own-birthday-cake’ from the mug of water on the counter. Puck had started to grow it the previous week. And it had expanded to a rather chunky size. The gift Joe had given her those several years ago for another birthday.

Somehow, the family portrait had come together at the last minute that year. Even without the fancy cameras and lighting. It had been taken Sunday afternoon, and of most note was Francis’ apparent growth spurt. Though it had been taken into consideration that he had been wearing shoes, and Joe had not.

Also on Sunday, Collette had found out from Evangeline that the miniature faux aluminum Christmas tree that Mom had joke-gifted to Judah and Evangeline for their wedding, had been their only Christmas tree for the first three Christmases. Reminiscent of the day that Judah had seen the large aluminum Christmas tree in their basement and had said…

“That is the ugliest Christmas tree I have ever seen.”

Additionally, when Puck had fallen asleep at church Sunday night…

“He sleeps!” Daisy-Jean had exclaimed.

“He’s just like a puppy,” Mom had replied. “’Bark, bark, bark. Eat, eat, eat. Bark, bark, bark. Eat, eat, eat. Fwump. And out for thirteen hours.”

Too true.

Also, during the cookie reception, Mollie had dropped over to see Dad and Collette.

“So what’s all the new news with the Snicketts?” she has asked in her Mollie way. “Collette, you’ve joined that rock band? Mr. Snicketts, you’re back into rap music again?”

“That’s right,” Mr. Snicketts joked back, in his Dad-way.

It was nice to have some quiet days at home after the holiday activities of one week to the next. It was also nice to have a son who could occupy himself for hours at a time with miniature cottages from her birthday cake, reinvented as ‘space ship houses’. Indeed, during peanut butter sandwiches and slices of pepper, he ‘shhhh-shhhh-shhh-ed’ his new spacecraft through the air and into the extending universii.

The afternoon was in the 40’s.

Dr. Wintershine sermon.

Puck rummaged in the gift wrap supplies.

Shared pomegranate juice. “Drink it daily. Feel it forever.”

Puck playing all sorts of imaginings in the black cube.

The mail brought the last two of the Christmas gifts.

A birthday card from Grandma Snicketts, which read:

“I know they

say its better late

than never, I kept

thinking I’d make

it to the store to

get you a special card.

Love, Grandma Snicketts”

A jog for Collette.

Muppets in Space.

More stir fry.

Christmas on Pandora.

And the wind started to pick up.

OLeif was back late after a run for groceries to make a total of four potato casseroles for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. And a Doctor Who Season 5 marathon in preparation for the Christmas Special airing on BBC America, Christmas Day, 8:00pm.

And in other unfortunate news… Grandpa had visited the doctor to be tested for a possible tumor in his throat. And it seemed that Aunt Tuuli was going to likely have another back surgery, just in time for Christmas…