As the years go by, Christmas moves farther and farther away from my idealized conception of what it should be. I don't mean socially, but personally. I have certain expectations for Christmas time, and I am unable to meet them. So Christmas can be pretty miserable. I'd certainly like to be drinking eggnog and rum with "someone" in my basement by the fireplace and then go skiing...and I'd certainly rather be talking to my family (and particularly family friends that come around at this time of the year) about my recent publications or my JD summa cum laude, than answering unanswerable questions.

I'd like to just celebrate it on the 8th as a religious holiday.

But Christmas isn't just about oneself. So no matter how far it is from what we would like it to be, we have a responsibility to make it as nice as possible for our families. After all how often do most people's families get together? If Christmas has ANY shred of meaning left, it should be the casting off of one's own self-absorption for a little bit...

14.??.? Margaret 0rz