Christmas Grumbling

 Somehow, despite the outside lights and the inside decorating that Fiorella has been doing, it still just doesn't look "a thing like Christmas." Maybe it's the lack of music, or snow, or Christmas cards bulging the mailbox--the latter of which is Fiorella's fault because she's been moved around a lot in the last couple of years. 

But Fio, you've been at the same address for almost two years now and, knowing how easy it is to talk to you, surely you've made a whole passel of new friends by now. But alas, no--unfortunately, your girl's neighborhood is made up of mostly young children, and she doesn't have any of those hanging around anymore.

But tradition is tradition, and Fiorella is doing her best to get out a new card this year, although it will actually be a revamping of an older one--The Mother's Christmas Song--that she mailed out back in 1977. The words are (first verse)"Today I sing a happy song/ Today I sing a song of joy/ Praise to God/ God is good/ God has given me a baby boy," and (second verse) "Today we sing a song of peace/Today we sing a song of love/Praise to God// Praise to God /God be praised in Heaven above." (Don't try to find it on a newsstand.)

Surely there is some kind of New Years potent that will get your girl up and running again. Of course, the problem is that she can't drive anymore. She's taken care of part of the problem by hiring her former maid to drive her to the grocery store et al on Saturdays, but there's more to go. Actually, she needs her own chauffeur on call.

Or, at least have more talkative residents in the offing....