It’s Christmas morning, and all is indeed calm. The animals and my partner and I snuggled under a warm blanked until rather late, doing nothing but lie there in the stillness of an extended family of mammals. Four cats, one dog, two humans – all had warmth to share.

Eventually, we all felt an urge to wander around and look for amusement. August, our Westie, had to make his trip out in the snow. That accomplished, our noble white sentry was awake, and had to drag everyone out of bed. It was time to start the day.

Having grown up in a house that celebrated Christmas, I remember this as a time of great excitement. This was when we saw what we got. We’d race out to the living room and inspect the great haul carefully, and dive in when we were told we could. Not today. My rejection of the common culture has brought a peace and serenity to the day that Christians often say in a longing voice is the reason for the holiday in the first place.

Life is funny this way. Scratch that – life is what it is, but we humans and our little plans are rather funny.

Today is the mailbag day, and I’ve only gotten a few responses to my request for comments on writing a memoir. So far, it’s been positive, but no one has utterly compelled me to do it. Still, I’m getting a strong sense of a theme together after all, and I may wind up getting this going. I’d like your comments all the same, as my dear readers and fans always surprise me with something.

For those of you who have not had your fill of Christmas, I’d strongly recommend the new Christmas cantata (for lack of a better thing to call it) by the local group Cantus. It’s called “All is Calm” and it depicts the story of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when the English and Germans along the Western Front stopped shooting for a moment and celebrated Christmas together.

I found this to be one of the most moving and powerful things I have heard on the radio in a long time. I hope you agree.

Meanwhile, I hope that this day brings you peace and the real understanding of how connected you are with your family, no matter how many species and slightly strange little beings are part of it.