’Twas two days before Christmas, with so much to do;
With 365 days to prepare, I’m pondering how the time flew.
Amongst the ribbons and wrappings, I read at a glance,
Meteorologists are giving a “White Christmas” a chance!

The nostalgic fragrance of pine drifts through the house.
While awaiting Amazon’s delivery of a gift for your spouse.
Class parties, gift baking, a latte with friends,
Long line-ups, dog grooming, tying up the loose ends.

With all our mad dashing, we’re reeling from shock;
Let’s stop for a minute and really take stock.
It’s crassly commercial, the cynical may say;
If that’s true, the fault is ours and we’ve gone astray

Take time for yourself though hard as that seems;
Enjoy children’s laughter, excitement and dreams.
Take a moment tonight to calm all the wild,
Through the clouds seek the stars, just you and your child.

The pumpkin pie can be Costco’s; your shopping is all done for that toy.
More important to feel is a child’s sense of joy.
The holidays aren’t about push, rush and shove;
They’re for friendship and sharing and love.

Hear the bells, feel the warmth, set the candles aglow
Of a message first sent many years long ago:
One of peace, love and goodwill, and hope burning bright.
Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

– Sue Kilpatrick, December 2021

Do sleighs use chains? Does the nose of a particular reindeer (Rudolph in this case) have a high-beam switch? Tomorrow (Friday) is Christmas Eve; both questions are good ones as they relate to the current and upcoming weather conditions.

A storm is due today (Thursday), with another close behind. Widespread rain is expected along with high mountain snow. The second one is predicted to drop temperatures and bring additional rain and low elevation snow over Christmas weekend. In our neck of the woods, three to six inches of rain is forecast. Snow? Snow capped mountains are an almost certainty. But will snowplows be deployed to Foothill Boulevard?