Bloggin' On: Christmas 2019 and Random Thoughts

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Photo Credit: Pixabay
Hello and welcome to another edition of Bloggin' On, the "random thoughts and personal observation" section of my A Certain Point of View blog. It's Wednesday, December 25, 2019. my fifth Christmas Day since Mom passed away and my fourth one living far from my hometown of Miami, Florida.

Right now, it's late morning in my corner of Florida; it's cloudy and chilly outside, with the temperature at 69℉ (21℃) it is definitely a stay-indoors day for me. As the day progresses, it will warm up to around 77℉ (25℃) with just a bit more sun in the sky than there is now.

 I'm still feeling the last lingering effects of the cold that laid me low last week and prevented me from going to see Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker on Opening Weekend; I don't have aches, pains, or even a fever, but I still have occasional fits of coughing. Thus, right now I feel more annoyed and enervated than I feel sick, especially since I really want to go see The Rise of Skywalker sooner rather than later.

Last night we had a good Christmas Eve dinner with no drama or moments of melancholia; when Mom was still around and my older half-sister tried to dominate the holidays with her notions of enforced cheer, December 24 and 25 were usually not happy dates in our Miami house, especially between 2010 and 2014, which was Mom's last holiday season. Back then, in the Land of Ago, Christmases were sad and bleak affairs in which Vicky tried to exert control over the entire proceedings. I seriously think she enjoyed the illusion of total control that she had in late December; she could boss her friend (and accomplice) Gloria Echeverry and tell people how to decorate Mom's room for Christmas, and she acted as hostess for Nochebuena. something that irritated me to no end. I don't like being bossed around by my older half-sister, and I especially hate being told how I must feel at any given point. Vicky wanted us to be of good cheer and act as though everything was fine and dandy, even when it was apparent that this was not the case.

Here, we don't do that. We had a no-drama, no-bickering Christmas, and everyone seemed to be grateful for the gifts we received. I would have liked to be 100% healthy and free from the tyranny of the Persistent Cough, but I'll take my victories where I can. No one argued or complained about getting a gift they didn't like, and best of all, I did not have to deal with my half-sister's penchant for dramatics.

I hope all of you out there are having a Merry Christmas or a Happy Hannukah, and that the year 2020 is a happy and prosperous one for all.   


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