starry greetings...

Merry Christmas, to those who observe it... and a pleasant day as well to others.

Here... just finished wrapping the last few gifts, at 2:30am. The kids will be up in 4 hours...

Late-night Christmas Eve service... ritual, robes, processional... solemn pause, then five hundred voices all singing "Oh Come, All Ye Faithful" locked together in unison... sent chills down my arms and back. We attended a local Episcopal church in Marietta, after geekchick's namesake saint (St. Catherine's :). Sat behind a gay man and next to a large autistic black man who was with his mother and kept rocking and making comfort sounds. Semi-casual dress... it all felt like home, and lovely. Candlelit, at the end, lit from the Advent candles.

Earlier, we'd finished shopping, and then accompanied my siblings and kids and my mother to my brother's church for their family Christmas Eve service... conservative evangelical, it was slightly uncomfortable. Then a large family dinner and carols together... it was fun. My father sang a little, too.

holiday triage

Mom's in the hospital... suspected cardiac, chest pains. She left a note that the kids found this morning when they got up. And the dog is vomiting and acting stranger than usual... kids are agitated. We're taking over Christmas dinner, coordinating with relatives and trying to prevent her from checking herself out against doctor's orders... while forstalling the kids and gifts as long as possible to buy time.

[Update 1pm: she saw a cardiologist, they imaged and ran tests, and don't think it is serious.... back home, now, although we're continuing to put together dinner and manage the house. Whew. She will see her doctor tomorrow. The dog is subdued, but at least he has stopped vomiting. ]