Our next full moon is almost due, along with the end of Mercury in retrograde motion – both set to occur on December 15. Until that time, prepare to be maddened by the insanity of all the astrological unease at work, and do your best to harness the energy such heavenly-body motion affords. That it should come right in the midst of the holiday season is traditionally one of life’s little fuck-overs, but at least this one is set to finish before the Christmas finale. Buckle up, buttercups. 

Andy has always handled the erection… of our Christmas tree.

That includes selecting it, putting it up, trimming it, and keeping it watered through Little Christmas (and often beyond). It brings him more joy than it would me, which is strange since that used to be one of my favorite things. Life changes us, so much so that I now view the whole Christmas tree process as a bit of drudgery, and if it weren’t for Andy I doubt I’d even bother. 

That said, I’ll still succumb to the magic of being in a room with only the glow of the tree in front of me, and embrace the magnificent scent of balsam first thing in the morning, the way I used to do as a kid. For that, I’m grateful that Andy still makes the effort, and if I have any Christmas spirit this year it’s largely due to him. 

Right now, as of the very moment of this writing, he has finished with the lights and the angel, and is about to embark on the ornaments. There is a simplicity to its look now that I admire, but I also anticipate the arrival of the decorations, and with them the memories we have made over the past twenty-four years. 

There are times when only a Ritz cracker and some peanut butter will do. 

And then years will go by without me eating them. 

Life is beautiful in all its whims. 

(Add ginger ale for extra nostalgia.)

Turning off the news has been one of the wiser decisions of our household, and now that all the Christmas programming is in full-effect, it’s been even more of a joy. Here are a few of my favorites – and I’ll always let one of these play out when they happen to come across the screen. Unplugging the news has been something many of my friends have done long ago – we are recent happy converts, and it’s opened up our days and nights in wonderful ways. When that unfortunate regime-change kicks in come January, our old news-watching habits will be a dim, depressing and ever-distant memory. I won’t be at all sad to see it go. 

We’ll ring in the new year with TCM, and keep the old-fashioned cinema rolling into 2025. 

“If we can create a breathtaking effect, it’ll be simple to monopolize all the worthwhile men.”  ~ Meet Me In St. Louis

See also, “These things must be done delicately.” ~ The Wizard of Oz

This is usually the very first thing I see when I wake up in the morning.

Before even walking to the bathroom to take a leak, I reach over to the bedside table and pick up the glass of water that Andy has delivered in the night, like magic. I gulp most of it down to start the day, and as my eyes adjust to whatever light might be available at the early hour, I begin to discern the bottom of the glass. Taking on kaleidoscopic properties, it offers a jumpstart to my imagination for that day. Sometimes it unfurls grandly, spooling off into all sorts of possible directions – and it’s the possibility that is so intoxicating. Some days it stays put, barely lit by the darkness of a winter morning, and hardly able to make itself into anything more than a simple glass of water. 

Even on the unimaginative days, it offers stability and sustenance, a stalwart embrace of reality first thing in the morning – a necessary reminder to remain grounded, to nourish the basic needs of the body, to heed the basic needs of the mind. 

We are speeding through this holiday season, because it doesn’t even feel like it’s December but here we already are on its second week, which will bring us to the mid-way point of the final month of this year. Mercury is still in retrograde motion, and I’m embracing its chaotic energy because it gives us all an excuse to lose every last fuck we ever had. Bye fucks! On that decidedly Christmas-like vibe, here is the weekly blog recap:

The official fragrance of this holiday season: Promise. (See also ‘a lot’.)

Everything is fine, even if just two people noticed the shirt.

A lunch made from leftovers.

Ghosts of Christmas parties past.

Finding moments of quiet amid the holiday bombast.

The blue hole.

Snap out of it!

No rest for the unmerry gentlemen.

Naked and gray, then and then.

The holiday card 2024: Shitter’s Full!

Modern humanity. (20 years later…)

Sanctuary.

Not quite the end.

The afterward.

‘Shades of Gray’: the complete project from 2004.

Harry Styles in well-hung form.

Our holiday Dazzler of the Day was Peter Billingsley.

This Christmas ornament popped up on one of my social media feeds, courtesy of Macy’s. I laughed, almost out loud, at the ridiculousness of it – it’s supposed to be Harry Styles, and if I were him I’d have a little discussion with a favorite lawyer to see what could be done about the matter. Personal, I prefer Styles in actual photographs, wearing striking outfits that get tongues wagging and critical ridicule flying. Or on stage, where his showmanship and star quality are brash and undeniable. Others prefer him in his underwear or fishnets. And some just want to see him buck naked. All are options here. For those who want him hanging on their Christmas tree, go for it. All gratitude to Mr. Macy.