Barbara J. Hamby

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Christmas Eve on the Village Green

Today as I looked out the wide bedroom window that covers most of its wall, at the view of the Town Hall and the large green lawn between our two buildings, it reminded me of a village green. Especially since the view beyond the Town Hall parking lot includes trees, homes and commercial buildings. That window is up high enough that the view into the bedroom is pretty much obscured. The same is true of the sliding door wall in the living room that also looks out on the “Village Green” view.

In the late afternoon today, we shared a delicious crab feast with the families of one of Floyd’s daughters (at her home) and one of his sons. Home made fudge and other goodies were part of the lavish assortment of desserts. Tomorrow we will go to the home of another daughter where more of the family will be present for an early afternoon meal. Then we will come home for a long session in the swimming pool.

Christmas Eve is quiet on the “Green.” I’m grateful not to have heard even one siren in the two hours we’ve been home. With the police station about a block away and a fire station about two miles from here, sirens have become a familiar background sound.

Since we got home too late to build a fire, I think I’ll turn on our public broadcasting station’s annual Yule broadcast of Christmas music taped a number of years ago at Timberline Lodge. The picture is of a crackling fire in the large fireplace at the lodge. It’s such a good job you can almost feel the heat from the fire. Too bad they didn’t run it when so many people in this area were without power after the recent windstorm.

We are having our usual wet Christmas, with temperatures in the forties. Driving in the rain at night isn’t fun, but other weather conditions could make it much worse.