Christmas 2013 After-Action Report

Most of this Christmas bounty is from thrift stores, Wally World,
the Dollar Tree, etc. We're happy for it. I got what I wanted.

Once more, we enjoyed another great Christmas that, by the numbers, had no right to happen whatsoever. Or maybe it did. I suppose this is the one benefit one might glean from expecting the worst of everything.

It's still a lousy habit that needs to stop. There were many factors I wasn't taking into consideration. After all, I wasn't a published author this time last year, was I? I won’t finish Grace Among the Dead by New Year’s but I’ll come close enough. I’ll have more than one, maybe more than two books out this time next year. They’ll be exceptionally readable and entertaining books because I’m acquiring a level of mastery of narrative one week at a time. I see the results transform the door of my very office. My son and I spent Christmas night looking over other people’s book trailers on the Web and talking of doing our own (much better) video shorts. If we can build a proper YouTube following....

My vegan wife made this for her family
on Christmas morning. I love my vegan wife.

I’ve come to appreciate what a delightful ultimate middle finger to the world my family is—because we are a family. I asked my grown daughter what she was doing for Christmas and she looked affronted, “I’m doing it at home!” By which she meant she was spending the night on the sofa after doing what is now the traditional gift-wrapping on the floor of my office.

There are wealthy men who can’t buy the love I have in my life. The realization and full appreciation of this fact only kicked in this year. Better late than never, though.

Buddha Cat says, “YOU are your own best gift!”

I can laugh at fear and the terror of ordinary days because this Christmas I understand I am loved by extraordinary people. How dare I even consider the possibility of letting such people down?

Scripting and execution. Here we go. Towards even Merrier Christmases!