Keeping Spirits Up (or Trying)

One nice thing about lockdown, I suppose, is this is the first year where no one is guilt-tripping us for Christmas visits.

On the flipside, no holiday parties either, and holiday parties and making holiday food are my favorite seasonal things.

I got all my holiday shopping done online on Black Friday, which I'm always ambivalent about--on the one hand, how nice to get it all over with, on the other, how depressing that familial relationships can be codified by the exchange of goods.

Every year I pour over holiday recipes, but this year more so as I hunt for things that are small but also comparatively luxurious. I'm not sure why I think a nice cake or pie will somehow "fix things" but apparently I do.

I'm also trying to get a bunch of things done before the holidays. As ever I wonder at how many things end up on my docket. (The answer is: I say yes, or I volunteer, or I want to help someone with publishing so I say I'll be their co-author and--)

I also saw this article on Jolabokaflod and what I really want to do now is having a Christmas Eve zoom party to talk about books. Scott says people will be zooming with their families, and I ask, will they really? REALLY? (Maybe it's just my fam that doesn't zoom, I dunno.)