The stockings were hung. The cookies and milk were laid out with a note of thanks. The reindeer food was spread across the lawn. Emma and her family were going back to Gramma's house after spending Christmas Eve with Aunt Jo, Uncle Jamie and Emma's two cousins, Conway and Grace. Santa wasn't coming to Gramma's this year. Emma had written him to say that everybody was going to congregate at Aunt Jo's on Christmas morning. As they were climbing into the car for the short drive back to Gramma's, Emma and her mom looked up at the sky to see the stars shining bright.

"Look!" said Emma. A red light was blinking overhead. "It's Rudolph!"

"Hurry, Mom!" she said. "We have to hurry back to Gramma's and call Aunt Jo!"

"You have to go to bed right away!" she told Aunt Jo. "I saw Rudolph! Almost at your house! Santa's coming! He's almost there!"

"Everybody go to sleep right away!" she commanded. "Or Santa might miss us!"

But Emma herself was too excited to sleep. She crept to her window to see what she could see. Only the white stars winked on and off in the night sky.

Next morning her mom found her wrapped in a blanket asleep by the window. "Good morning," she whispered. "Merry Christmas!"

"Did Santa come?" asked Emma.

"Let's go see," said her mom, so they gathered up Dudley and Emma's dad and Gramma and Grampa and they drove over to Aunt Jo's. And, guess what?

"Oh, Mom!" said Emma. "Santa did come!"

"Thanks to you," said her mom. "Isn't it lucky you saw Rudolph?"

"Just in time!" said Emma with a happy smile.

P.S. Sinatra would have been 94 today. XM/Sirius radio is playing his music all day long. The Voice.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!

I spent a wonderful week in Oregon in October. After several days of hiding (I called it Mt. Hoodie), Mt. Hood came out of the clouds. We ate good food, enjoyed poetry together, saw lavender fields forever. By "we" I mean, variously: a first cousin and his wife, neither of whom I had never met; my high school classmate Francie; and my new friend Adrianne, who is the daughter of my mother's best friend from the time she was about nine through young matronhood. Adrianne found me through my website several years ago, after her mother had seen an article about me in our (mutual) high school newsletter. I knew nothing about her. There's a photo of her and Adrianne and my mother and my older brother when the babies were maybe 9 months old. I didn't know who the other woman was until Adrianne showed me a picture of her mother, whom I then recognized immediately.

When Adrianne and I got together after several years of correspondence, it was like bringing our mothers together again.

Then last night I had a dream about Mt. Hood. I dreamed I had climbed the mountain with a guided group of people. Next day we were offered another, overnight climb, but without a guide. I wanted to spend the night on the mountain, even if it was dangerous. I wanted to lead the group. So did others. It was never clear to me who was chosen. It was raining and cold. I wondered if I should wear my rubbers over my stockings and flats. The rubbers were packed in my suitcase, which was being carted to the van that was going with us. I had to jump out a low window (like Laura Riding) to retrieve the suitcase. When I did, I landed in a large puddle that turned out to be not just a puddle, but a mud hole, very deep and very muddy. Over my head. I got stuck in the mud. Nobody knew where I was. Nobody could see me deep inside the mud puddle, over my head. I tried to cry out. In my dream Louis woke me up and saved me. In fact, Louis heard me cry out in my sleep and woke me up and saved me.

The future is not clear. I'm trying to be patient until the mountain reveals itself again. I'm grateful for Louis every day. HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!