The carols were great.  I  ..almost.. didn't cry at ",,,radiant beams from
thy holy face,,,". The postlude, a Messaien typically atonal thing, was
wretched.  Best part was watching the church lighten as the 150-plus candles
were lit.  Lots of goodbys and hugs outside for old friends.

The Saks Fifth Avenue windows were funny 50's retro-Eloise-esque, silly from
a distance, touching and funny close up.  The crowds were milling down
towards the skating rink at Rock Center, with 30 Rock floodlit up to the sky.
 Cold and clear - snuck into Zabars at 2 PM during a lull in the crowds to
buy a bread machine - maiden voyage tonight - hoping to be free of the
drudgery of 4 AM wake up for breakfast bread.

The kids are eager, even the 15 year old one who had vodka on his breath two
nights ago after the Gold and Silver Ball in his first dinner jacket.   I
finally bought my 80-something aunt something she liked - a waffle iron.  She
called to thank me - a first. Or maybe I was just suckered.  The fire is
burning down, the silver is polished, we said grace together at the
steakhouse  "... and BLESS THIS MEAL!"  just like the bible belt tourists do
at Lutece.

The kids are cleaning up the kitchen after putting together their annual
gingerbread house - which they always gleefully hammer to smithereens in
February.  They're going to drag their beds out to the living room in a
minute to go to sleep in front of the fire so that "Santa" can come in and
fill their stockings.  This year they'll open their stockings at 7:30 AM - we
started negotiating from 8:00 (they've forgotten that they used to open them
at 6:00, just like they don't notice when we fiddle with the clocks at
"midnight" on New Years Eve).

I can see our 10-year-neighbors, the Barkhorns, across 89th Street, getting
their house ready for their kids.  Karin's father died today - funeral
Tuesday.  I have the annual freshly carved pumpkin filled with Christmas
lights facing their windows, red and green eyes, blue nose, rainbow mouth.

No one else from BP is up at 10:45 PM Christmas eve?

Kris Kringle in NYC