Merry Christmas Eve

It's Christmas Eve, truly one of the best days of the year.

For those with young children, it's the calm before the storm, the few hours before a (hopefully) joyous chaos erupts.

For those of us at our stage of life, who have adult children but no grands yet, it's a relaxed day of preparing, laughing, visiting and eating (too much).

For years our next-door-neighbors have brought us pizza bread on Christmas Eve, and each year it's always the same. It gets to be about lunch time and we all wonder aloud, "Do you think they're bringing the pizza bread?'

"Maybe they're not doing it this year," someone will say.

Thankfully that person was not correct. About 11:45 the doorbell rang and there was lunch. And it was scrumptious, as usual.

For a number of years now we have done an internationally themed Christmas Eve. This year the theme is tropical-island Caribbean, with a menu of jerk chicken, slaw, rice and beans, Cuban pork tenderloin and some other specialties Wife has up her sleeve.

She is in the dining room now decorating, and went to Goodwill the other day to get us all appropriate clothing. It should be a hoot, as usual. I'll report back.

I hope it's all merry and bright for all of you but I am mindful that holidays sometimes bring pain. I'm saying a prayer for all, and especially those who might be hurting at this time of year.