No time to post today. I have so many things going on at the house. I mean, we’re hosting 14 people tonight for the annual Feast of the Seven Fishes, and we are still struggling with how we are going to fit all of those people around our table.

Oh, crap!  I should have thought about this earlier, so I could have built a table that would have been long enough to fit everyone!  Why didn’t I get to that this year? Oh, my, time to mark it down for 2015 so I can get it done in time.

And, the back room where the tree is… what a mess!  We haven’t vacuumed yet, and the kids want to play their PlayStation games. Don’t they understand everything that needs to get done? Come on, guys, get your rears in gear and start moving!

Oh, and the shoe bench. What on earth are we going to do with all these shoes? Dangit, I knew I meant to build an entryway organizer this year to capture all those shoes and jackets and umbrellas and hats and all the other stuff. Man, next year…

And the food shopping, and the gift wrapping….

STOP!

Just what do I think I’m doing?  Today is Christmas Eve. The only one we get each year. Why am I letting all this little stuff get in the way of my enjoyment of this most special day of the year?  So, my house isn’t perfect. So, I should just build a sign that says ‘Bless this Mess’ and be done with it.

When we gather tonight around the table for the traditional Italian-American feast, no one is going to notice anything other than how much food there is. How much laughter we’ll be sharing. How much joy and anticipation of the big day tomorrow.

That’s what this season is all about. This year, I learned that health is precious. That life is something that can be taken away, and that we need to be able to enjoy every minute of it, regardless of how clean our floors are or how many projects are on the back burner.

My wish to all of you is happiness, peace, joy – and the patience to slow down and enjoy every minute.

See you after the holiday…