Yuletide Gratitude

The 10 simple things making this a very nice holiday:

• Surviving November's ordeal (perhaps not so simple, but I'm thankful all the same), and being well enough to stay out of a hospital and to travel. Some people won't have this benefit this year.
• El Niño, and the consequential weather patterns that made the incredible scenes of hoar frost laden trees and buildings, and yet was mild enough to be out to enjoy such views before Christmas.
• A recent windfall that covered most of my Xmas shopping expenses.
• Watching the dog's reaction and excitement of receiving a gift from one someone. The aerial manoeuvers she performed to simultaneously greet an auntie, and then do a Kamikaze drive head first into a gift bag to get her treats was entertaining to watch. I wish I had video footage. It was like Ella Boo Boo's Flying Circus happening there and then.
• Discovering Gevalia coffee: it is divine stuff. Seeing that it comes from Sweden, the number one coffee-drinking nation in the world, one would think that they would know their stuff, and they sure do. Add that to the other great things to make it here from Sweden, like IKEA, ABBA, Skype, maybe the Koenigsegg hypercar, and Malin Åkerman*.
• Homemade Butter Tarts, Cabbage Rolls, Surprise Seafood Spread, and Turkey Stuffing with gravy. If this is all I had to eat for the holiday, I would still be quite happy.
• Dad having another birthday, and seeing that one more year of age hasn't stopped him from being the silly and witty old character that he is.
• My present: a set of cookware, a welcome new addition to the arsenal that is my kitchen. I guess I can finally retire the hand me down cooking pots that I have been using thus far.
• Not hearing so much ridiculous exposure on the news about the political correctness of using Happy Holidays versus Merry Christmas.
• Finally breaking some cycle of depression, and learning how to deal with all this being alone with idleness and no energy, and sitting still by myself without as much negative thinking and anxiety overwhelming me (again, perhaps not such a simple thing).

*- Well . . . I'm not too sure about ABBA or IKEA, Skype has glitches, and the Koenigsegg isn't even street legal here . . . but most definitely for sure, MALIN ÅKERMAN.