Merry Christmas
Christmas itself was good. Family and children back home, food, chilling and hanging out together, board games, and so on. We had a good Christmas dinner, everyone was safe and healthy, gifts were exchanged, games were played, and we went on several family outings between Christmas Eve and Christmas day including the family dog, who, as dogs are wont to do, had the best day ever.
The evening outing was pleasant - a local county festival/faire that's been running for the last week, and even Christmas eve. It was crowded, but relaxed. Even on Christmas Eve people working the booths had on a good smile, it was fun and festive under a dazzling array of lights, families and children were everywhere, and apparently funnel cake can now be bought as "fries" instead of one circular intertwined mass. Also - while the symbolism was mostly secular, there were explicitly Christian symbols about.
I hope that everyone who reads this also had a good and merry Christmas. May you and yours be blessed in this new year.