We went and got a Christmas tree on saturday, but not at one of the scenic tree farms where we usually go, because we're not sure if the van will make it. Nobody in their right minds would want to drive along a hilly freeway with very little shoulder space in a van that has proven its unreliability in such situations in the past, so we ended up at the neighborhood lot, consoling ourselves with the fact that all of their proceeds go to local charities. As we pulled into the parking place, The Dickens looked out the window and asked, "where da punkinpie?" "Punkinpie", as any good translater will tell you, means "pumpkin". The tree lot, like many similar lots, occupies the same corner of the parking lot that the pumpkin patch covered a couple of months ago. The Dickens was nonplussed at the sight of all of the trees sitting where the pumpkins ought to be.
Later, she sang Christmas songs to herself as we decorated. She had a great time until the ornaments ran out, at which point she threw a tantrum that culminated in her biting Jen. Oh, the fickleness of the two year-old.
It's nice to have the tree up. The smell of pine always reminds me of childhood, and how this month seemed to take forever. Now it flashes by so fast that our heads will still be spinning in February. It makes me wonder how fast time will go twenty or thirty years down the line.

cds I listened to while noticing more and more holiday lights, and wondering how many people will regret putting them up when they get their next electricity bill: Iva Bittova & Vladimir Vaclavek "Bile Inferno", Neko Case "Canadian Amp", Tarantula Hawk "Live at KFJC, 7/15/01", Ilgi "Saules Meita", Iva Bittova & Pavel Fajt "Svatba", and Hedningarna "1989 - 2003"