I haven’t been posting over the past couple days because, frankly, my granddaughter demands a certain amount of vassalage during her presence. I snuck downstairs for this short respite while she is being entertained by the Disney corporation. Christmas was every bit as much fun as hoped thanks to the presence of my daughter and her family. My son’s family was sorely missed though and the day only cemented my determination to make Christmas 2021 more inclusive of people I love. Pandemia demanded the cautions we took and we get a second, bonus Christmas later this week up in New Hampshire with his family.
FBR's Reaction to Christmas Morning Finds 
What She Saw
Christmas Eve was fun
as we indulged in the season’s traditions which the FBR takes very seriously.
She supervised the preparation for Santa’s snacks and dictated a message to St Nick
that her mother wrote and then the FBR signed with some yuletide flourish. Once
she departed for dreamland the adults arranged the Christmas morning surprise
and then descended to the Man Cave to watch Love Actually, a family Christmas
Eve tradition. Pee Wee the cat sniffed out his present under the tree assisted
by the resident cat nip within.
Signing her Message to Santa 
The Message
I was the early one
up Christmas morn and had all the lights on and music playing when the FBR appeared
at the top of the stairs nearly quivering with excitement to learn if Santa had
stopped by. Some of her recent behavior had caused some concern about landing
on the naughty list and she was intensely relieved to see the stockings full
and a literal mountain of presents awaiting her. Some seriously warm weather
combined with torrential rain robbed us of the seeming certain White Christmas
but nothing could dismantle the feeling of the holiday as we watched the FBR
tear into her gifts. She was amazed that so many of the toys she asked for had
appeared. Grandparents do listen occasionally. She’s moved beyond the stage of
wanting to stop and play with each gift and I had a hard time keeping up with
her while I distributed presents. 
Pee Wee The Christmas Cat
With Abuela After Waking up Christmas Morn 
Awaiting Clearance to Come Down with her Mom 
During Gift Opening Frenzy
Gifting was followed
by mimosas and fried dough/hojaldras while the FBR dove into her newly acquired
toys while the smell of roasting turkey wafted through the house. We soon had miniature
plastic ponies and other figurines liberally dotting the landscape. After breakfast
and the mid-day lull got the rest of Christmas dinner configured. The meal as
ready on time and received rave reviews. It had gotten so hot during the day
that we actually had the dining room window open while we ate. 
Favorite Panamanian With her Haul
Wife and I Prepping Breakfast 
Christmas Dinner, Note Open Window 
Daughter's Family 
FBR
Throughout the day we
tried to connect with as many of the people who should have been sharing the
day with us in person, including several with my son and his family The calls
included Soxfather and Great Aunt who were their usual overly generous in the gift
department. We also solved the mystery of the yellow disks. All of the gifts we
received from Keene Friend had yellow disks attached to the outside. Wingman correctly
identified them as the spacers that used to be used for 45 records to play on a
stereo. When we got Keene Friend on the phone he verified our guess that he did
this simply to provoke the question to be asked in the first place. We also
talked with my younger sister and husband although that was during the chaotic turkey
carving time so words were lost. I can’t wait to be together again with all
these people in person. We ended the day with a long zoom call to my wife’s
family down in Panama which was filled with its usual collection of laughter
and love.
Wingman and Myself
BRS and BR3 with Their Own Christmas Haul 
FBR & Abuela Operating on Oogie Boogie
The time since Christmas
has been spent together, isolated due to the pandemic, but still enjoying the
time with each other. The FBR displays endless enthusiasm for each new toy she
opens. We now have a drone flying around the living room with one of the games
she acquired as well as an updated version of the vintage game Operation with
the FBR’s favorite character, Oogie Boogie. I’ve also bonded with Pee Wee and
no one saw that coming based on our history together. While this Christmas certainly
has had its downer of not being able to have as many people around, I’ve truly treasured
the time spent with my daughter and her family.
The Mystery Disks
A Christmas Miracle, Pee Wee and I
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Birdwatching Buddies
RECURRING CHARACTERS
BR3 – granddaughter #3, BRS - Blog Reader the Sequel - second granddaughter; FBR - First Blog Reader - first
granddaughter, ABFA – Amazing Best
Family Athlete = my daughter in law; Wingman
– my son in law; Keene Friends 1 & 2
– friends since high school from my home town of Keene, NH; Soxfather - my brother in law; Great Aunt - my elder sister; Cantankerous Friend
– friend since grade school who likes to argue about everything, poses as
radical leftist to attract women; Kindergarten
Friend – friend since kindergarten whom I reunited with after many years; Pittsburgh College Roommate – high
school friend, also a “Minor Celebrity” in Pittsburgh; Deckzilla – our backyard deck which grew to monstrous dimensions
once my wife got involved in planning; Maine
and Virginia Musqueteras – two close friends of my wife – her US sisters,
my wife is the 3rd musquetera (musketeer); Riggins - also known as the Grandpuppy, son's dog; PanaGals – female relatives /friends of
my wife from Panama; Panamanian/Latin
Mafia – inevitable group of Latino friends my wife accumulates wherever we
have lived & their spouses; Neighborhood
Mafioso - wife's close friend and Panamanian mafia member, Favorite Panamanian - the wife (of
course); First Friday – celebrations
to mark the First Friday of the Week; Curbside
Girls – close friends of my daughter acquired during her single days in
Brooklyn
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