This year's Christmas is "in tents"

When we go camping, Zoë bails on the cabover camper and pitches a tent out back. She's been stuck with our six-man tent, so for Christmas we gave her a two-man REI tent... that she wants to sleep in tonight in our back yard. It'll get down to the low 30's, and she's got a good mummy bag, so she'll be all snuggly.

Last night Peg's sister Jeanette and her husband, Greg, had us over for a great vegetarian Christmas Eve dinner. Our nephew Jon's girlfriend, Maki, played her sitar for us after dinner and invited us to try it. I've got a serious jones for the thing... I suspect there's a sitar in my future. Far more interesting and intriguing than the bass guitar I played briefly (and badly) a few years ago.

The hallway photo shows a family tradition... before we string the lights on the tree, we run them all the way down the hall into Zoë's room.

Best Christmas present of all, and it almost goes without saying, is having Peg with us and healthy. She doesn't have eyebrows or any other flavor of hair, but is absolutely full of piss and vinegar. As I write this, she and Zoë are laughing and playing "Hearts" on our bed. Best Christmas "music" ever.