Tales
Bill and I went out for dinner Tuesday night. We had a very nice server. I am interested in people, perhaps because of my journalistic training. For this reason, I strike up conversations with all manner of folks, from servers to grocery workers to people with whom I’m standing in line. During our hour-and-fifteen-minute dinner, I was able to glean the following information from our server. He grew up in New Jersey, but came to Colorado because NEW JERSEY. He has a girlfriend, who just found out that she is pregnant. He is delighted, because he’s always wanted to have children. He is one of five boys, so he is hoping for a girl. His mother recently passed away. He loved his grandparents very much. They were married for 62 years. One of his favorite things about his family is their sense of humor. As an example, he told us that his grandfather told his grandmother, “I better NEVER catch you having an affair.” Her response was, “OK, you won’t ever catch me!”

It’s Just What I Wanted!
The restaurant Tuesday evening was quite busy, or at least the section in which we sat was full. Perhaps they put everyone in one section to create the illusion that they aren’t about to be shut down because of sanitation violations. Anyhoo, there was a table right next to ours in which three 50-some aged women sat and enjoyed martinis and wine, laughing like old friends. After they placed their order with the server from New Jersey with the funny grandparents, they pulled out from underneath their table four or five really, really, big Christmas bags, and commenced opening gifts. There were fur purses and candles and a sweater or two, with lots of oooohs and aaaahs as each opened a few gifts. It amused me that they seemed to have purchased the largest gifts to exchange at a rather small restaurant table. As Bill and I got up to leave, I (being me) couldn’t help but comment to them about how much fun they seemed to be having opening their GIGANTIC presents. They laughed and agreed that the presents were oversized for the space allowed. “We do this every year,” one of the women told me. “We eat dinner together and exchange Christmas gifts with one another. We have so much fun.” That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

Kissing
The other day, Cole and Mylee and I were watching a Christmas movie in which two women discover they look alike. Upon making that discovery, they decide to switch places so the one woman (who was a princess) could see what it’s like to be a commoner and the other woman could see what it’s like being a princess. (Hey, I didn’t write the story.) Of course, the women fell in love with the other woman’s boyfriend (who the other women didn’t really like anyway). One of the men and women were about to kiss, and Cole was beside himself. “They shouldn’t kiss because that’s the other girl’s boyfriend,” he said in an stern voice. I told him I think it was all going to turn out alright. “Oh boy,” he said. “This is a disaster.” And we thought COVID was a disaster.

And Hugs
That same day, I drove the kids home in the evening. I kissed them all goodbye, and headed out the door. In the time and distance between their front door and my car that was parked in the street, Cole came running out three times to give me another kiss. He really is my best buddy. He reminds me very much of my nephew B.J., who, like Cole, could be a stinker (and still can be), but is as loving as the day is long.

Ciao.