Welcome to Christmas Eve 2021!

For those of you who will be actually with your families during the holiday. I sincerely hope that you have a wonderful time.

For those of you that will be FaceTimeing or Zooming, I hope you also have a wonderful time, may your internet connections be speedy and your video be unfrozen.

Apparently, we will be spending our holiday on the mountain in rain. This is not so bad, because if it had been snowing for the past 24 hours instead of raining… We’d be stuck doing nothing but digging out. So I’m grateful for the rain, and I hope that it doesn’t turn into some kind of blizzard that even Rudolf couldn’t fly in.

I’m not holding my breath on this matter, because well, God has a wicked sense of humor.

Imagine all the lovely new skis, sleds, and snowboards being delivered on Christmas Day and then imagine the broken hearts of all those folks seeing snow on the local mountains, but not being able to get to it because the roads and ski resorts are all closed.

Should that happen, and you’re one of the folks who can’t get to the ski resorts, take heart. Those of us living in these mountain towns will be very busy using our brand new snow shovels and wondering if we’ll be able to dig ourselves out before April.

Truthfully, I’m hoping that we do get a little snow on Christmas. It always adds to the season and somehow makes Hot Chocolate taste better.

As a slight PSA. Remember no talking about politics, gun control, religion, trans-rights, the news, or COVID at the holiday dinner table.

You should also leave all your RED or BLUE pills locked safely away.

It’s occurred to me that RED pilling an unsuspecting relative isn’t being kind. Destroying someone’s beliefs even with the best of intentions is only going to destroy the magic of the season.

The fact that Johnnie’s new computer may have a VPN installed which allows you to provide proof of censorship happening in the United States, is likely to leave your blue relatives depressed and despondent and Johnnie won’t be able to use his computer because the adults will be trying to verify or disprove all sorts of outlandish conspiracy theories.

For the duration of the holiday, set all that stuff aside and just enjoy each other’s company.

I know this will be difficult.

In my family for example, it just isn’t Christmas until some of the relatives have thrown a few punches or one branch of the family or other has been thrown out of someone’s house. Or possibly the Police have made at least one visit!

I’d strongly suggest turning off Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TicToc, and all the rest of the noise. Better yet, turn off the technology altogether and watch a movie or tune into an NFL. game after the obligatory social justice message.

If you tune into a game too early, you’re likely to have some family member or another make a comment about the social justice messaging and then bang! You’re going to miss the whole game arguing politics.

If you’re zooming, or FaceTiming, and someone starts talking about any of the forbidden subjects remember to just mute them. Don’t throw your shiny new phone or pad across the room. Wait until they’ve talked themselves blue in the face and then resume the audio. If you’re really serious, mute them and freeze your image.

You can call it an internet glitch. “Oh uncle James, I’m sorry I didn’t hear any of the last two hours about QAnon. What did you say?”

Meanwhile at your house, you’re going about your business assembling the new bicycles.

That last trick, I’m going to use liberally.

Hopefully, my suggestions will help you have a quiet and peaceful Christmas.

Sincerely,

May you each have a Very Merry Christmas.