We’re on our fourth consecutive day of merriment. Surprisingly, I haven’t crashed yet. I just stare in a sort of middle-distance coma. My oldest puked last night due to an overdose of chocolate. My middle child hid in her room for most of the party last night because, first, too many people were looking at her, and, then, because she wasn’t getting enough attention. My youngest wandered around petting babies and regaling adults with party conversation. I got strong hugs from family I don’t see nearly enough. I got to speak on the phone to another I didn’t get to see, but warmed to hear his voice. For all the stress and worry in anticipation of the holiday, it left me with a warm and fuzzy feeling in addition to the exhaustion. So my family found me in the woods and sat by the hearth for a while. May you all be warmed by the fire of family with none of the third-degree burns.
