It is Christmas Eve

Have to work during Christmas so I'm away from family for first time.Will meet up with friends tomorrow then back to work the rest of the week. Wouldn't want to be alone every Christmas, but it's been nice and relaxing watching Christmas movies without the stress.

Joyeux Noel.

It's Christmas Eve. We celebrated with one son and his family yesterday, then drove them to the airport this morning for their flight to visit the in-laws. Tomorrow we drive to the other son's house to spend the day with him and his family.

It is calm and quiet here now. Playing on the Bluetooth speaker is the album "Merry Christmas" by the Norman Luboff Choir, the very same LP record my parents played on the hi-fi in our home Christmas Eve almost sixty years ago.

It has been a challenging year. In July my wife and I were scheduled to go on a Danube river cruise, with additional time in France, Bavaria, Prague and Budapest. It didn't happen. Instead, the highlight of July 2019 was when I was relieved of my cancerous prostate on an operating room table by some robotic machine that looked like it was right out of a sci-fi thriller. Today was my 34th follow-up radiation treatment (of 40, over a span of two months).

But the joys have far outweighed the challenges. I feel great now, full strength, the nasty little side-effects of the surgery are waning, and there are only smiles from the doctors. We have had the privilege of meeting many wonderful people in the medical profession, and many courageous fellow patients.

There are many other joys as well. We now have a fourth grandchild. Our kids and grandkids have been doing amazing things in their careers and education. The canceled Danube cruise has been rescheduled for June 2020, with no loss of pre-paid fare.

I among all am most richly blessed.

At times like this I think of the friendship, camaraderie, concern, prayers and good wishes of so many wonderful people, many of whom I have never met in person.

You know who you are. Thank you.

May this night and this season be joyful and profoundly meaningful to all of you, and the New Year happy, healthy and prosperous.

I, too am checking out the forum right before I go to bed here at my mom’s in Arizona. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Holidays to all my travel obsessed forum friends!

Last night I was with my Scrabble club (almost 40 years , over 40 people and still going strong) in Jerusalem. We lit Hanukkah candles as just a few kilometers away the faithful were gathered in Manger Square waiting to hear midnight mass in Bethlehem. All was peaceful . . . may it remain so throughout the New Year.

Happy trails to all in 2020.

I love reading about all the different ways we celebrate this time of year.

We too have had some family challenges this year, some of which made us abandon our traditional big Christmas Eve dinner with a roast and the extended family. We decided to celebrate the evening by cooking tapas with our kids (now young adult and teens), everyone lending a hand and crowding around the stove in our tiny kitchen, eating as we cooked.

We all agreed it was was one of the most fun holidays we’ve ever had.

So here’s to hoping everyone has a lovely season with friends and family, and when things don’t go the way you planned, embrace the change.

Have a peaceful year full of great adventures!

Jeff, I am so glad that you were able to take care of your health. We look forward to helping with 2020 plans.

It’s been a quiet Christmas alone for me. I went home to the States for two weeks at Thanksgiving, so don’t have much leave left now. And the rail strikes put paid to my ability to go to Turin to my in-laws’ (my husband went, but we bought him a plane ticket, and just couldn’t see spending all that money when I could only be there for a couple of days).

So with nothing else to worry about, I helped an overburdened friend make it to CDG with her 17-month-old and way too much luggage on Sunday. Now it will be back to work tomorrow! But hopefully things will be slow and quiet.

Chani, love to think of your Scrabble club!!

Cheers to all.

Spent my Christmas Eve like every year, serving dinner to about 250 homeless and less fortunate of Frankurt. We had goulasch, knödel, chicken fricassee with rice, fruit and cookies to take with them. We had musicians, and a DJ. They could stay overnight in the church where we also had a crew of people to chat with them, play chess, etc. and breakfast was from 8-10. About 60 volunteers covered all the shifts from 15:30 til today at 11:00.

Brava, Ms. Jo!

Good for you Jo-the true meaning of Christmas-Goodwill to all men.
Frohe Weihnachten.