Christmas Eve on the range, boys, Christmas Eve on the range...

And if you know that quote, you must be 1. my age, and 2. a one time fan of Dennis the Menace comic books.

That particular story was, as best as I can remember, in the style of a Charlie Brown Christmas – it had a touch of the underbelly of holiday cheer and a little bit of good will, coming from strange places. I loved it.

But then, as a kid, I loved books, comic books, TV shows – anything that had a holiday edition attached to it. There was so much less to choose from then, that what was there, was special. And, as my family had a low key attitude toward holidays in general, I peeked into the holidays of others to figure out what the fuss was all about. And it became obvious that each holiday had its mood and the mood of Christmas was musical and delicious and uplifting. Certainly not "just another day."

So it’s funny that I spend time with Ed, who feels even less inclined to think holiday thoughts – any holiday thoughts – than my family did.

Step aside then, today, Ed. We’re rolling our Christmas Eve. There’s the breakfast at the diner, the drive to a bakery for bread, to the grocers for food and then there’s the baking and the cooking which, I suppose, is a universal part of nearly every special day.

It’s a beautiful, white Christmas Eve here in Madison.






May it be a beautiful evening in your home too, whether, like Ed, you ignore the holiday completely, or, like my daughters, you plunge into it with tremendous zest and good cheer.