It’s Christmas and if you have your people, hopefully you are with them.

It’s a hard day for some because it’s a day of emotions and emotionally loaded memories.

It had been 14 years since we were all together at my sister’s house for Christmas. We had been together other places, but not all there since my brother in law died that Christmas of 2010. Or the Christmas time forgot, and the year a blizzard visited New York City. I still remember the surreal experience of waking up Park Avenue with just other people and snow. No cars or buses or taxi cabs.

I didn’t even realize until the other day how long it had been since we were all together there.

I wasn’t sure how it was going to be for me. There is still so much of my late brother in law there. Good memories. Calling my niece “Cake” coming into the kitchen loaded down with Christmas presents. He loved Christmas.

Now the kids are all adults with their own lives and there we all were again. The same, yet altogether different and changed by time.

I have tuned into a bit of a country mouse at this point in my life, but New York City at Christmas is magical.

The laughter echoes still in my head although I am now back in the quiet of our home. I felt a lot of emotions today, not bad, it was just a lot to experience. New memories melding with old.

It was a nice and beautiful Christmas after a crazy 2024. I hope all of you had a wonderful day.

Merry Christmas.