The week between Christmas and New Years Day, has always been a nice time for me. I usually catch up with some old friends, maybe do some visiting (less so this year), watch some football on TV and generally take it easy, enjoying the lingering holiday spirit. I have developed a personal tradition (personal, because nobody else cares to join me), of watching all three “Godfather” movies, and the movie, “Diner”. I consider them all to be “Christmas Movies”, in there own way, of course. So every year, during this “Holiday Week”, I set aside enough time to watch all of them.

I like to watch these films, from start to finish, without interruption (almost impossible). The Godfather Trilogy (at least the first two, are) is probably on most “best ever” lists, and needs no introduction. “Diner”, on the other hand, is lesser known story of a group of friends during “Holiday Week” in 1959, Baltimore. I find it hilarious, full of classic lines, great oldies music with a great cast of characters. I finished the “Godfather Part III” late on Thursday and finally got to “Diner” on Saturday, fulfilling the annual promise to myself.

One reason it took most of the week to complete the movie viewing ritual, was our Microwave Oven, stopped working. For a day or two, we hemmed and hawed over what to do. It was only a couple of years old, but of course, no longer warrantied. Should we try to get it repaired or replace it? And should we get the same model or something else? We decided to replace it with the same model. We also decided to forgo the delivery and installation charges and do it ourselves. Based on my “DIY” experiences, I was very leery of attempting this, but with Debi’s help the removal of the old unit and installation of the new one, went smoothly and we are back to having a fully functioning kitchen. It really wasn’t that bad, living without a Microwave for a few days. I mean what did we do without them, before they were invented?

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Saturday morning, Debi and I went to Uplands Farm Sanctuary in Cold Spring Harbor, for a beautiful hike of about three miles, over incredibly varied terrain, through meadows and woods. We saw two deer and a multitude of different birds. It was a nice sunny and crisp winter morning, not quite 4o degrees. It felt great to be outdoors, after being inside watching movies most of the week!

And so, that was how the year 2020 passed into history. A tough year in so many ways. And yet, there were still many great things that happened last year. Not the least of which was the slowed pace of life, because of the Pandemic. No matter the reason, the less hectic and harried day to day existence, can be viewed as a blessing. We have a bit more (okay maybe a lot more) time to appreciate some of the little things that otherwise may go unnoticed. I saw a great quote last Thursday. I thought it was a good fit.

“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer.”

Albert Camus