Christmas Eve, a reflection

The daylight on Christmas Eve seemed to shine a little brighter, and the air became somewhat crisper. This is perhaps only my own personal perception of the day yet I feel as if things were much more in focus. The melodious peal of a finely crafted silver bell would surely have been a timorous footnote tucked in as an afterthought to the profoundly overwhelming glory my eyes did feast upon whilst I went about my morning. I enjoyed distant birdsong instead, and the eerie whoosh of the wind through the unclothed boughs of my maple tree.

We forwent the usual Christmas Eve dinner and made do with our local Chinese restaurant tonight. Steubenville is a peaceful town even on Christmas Eve. We needed a few sundries from the grocer and my hair was in dire need of a trim and so we ventured out into the cold.

I would never have dared to leave the house and approach any shops had we lived anywhere other than here. It is as if this were the town that never learned how to be rude. There were a few people whom I wished had a little more goodwill towards their fellow man (or children!) but most of the people that we encountered were as upbeat as a merry carol.

We were out of the beauty parlor in a short amount of time and the only thing that held us up at the grocery store was perhaps my indecision in regard to some cuts of meat and a pair of trouser socks (I should have picked up a cheap pair while we walked through Sears, but it slipped my mind.)

The evening air is tranquil now, broken now and then by a distant siren or the laughter of a neighbor welcoming in guests from the cold. Jewel boxes glimmer over hill and dale, a myriad of festive lights outlining merry homes. The world seems pensive.

Better Half and I will snuggle up with each other in the living room (he found a copy of “The Iron Giant”) and struggle to keep awake until it is time to prepare for Midnight Mass at Holy Rosary. How glad I am to be able to attend this year! (Our vehicle was at the dealership undergoing repairs during the holidays in 2006.)

These are the memories that I will savor everlastingly. This tranquility is what carries me through the year. I wish you all the best on Christmas day, and throughout 2008.