My daughter and I leave tonight for a long Christmas-time road trip, yet another in a semi-long series— an addition and continuation of the times I drove from Northern California, and from Ogden, all the way south through several climate zones, to spend Christmas with Mom and Dad. But we did more often spend our Christmases together, just the two of us in whatever home we happened to find ourselves in that particular year, establishing our own Christmas traditions— Blondie could pick out and open just one of her Christmas presents from under the tree on Christmas Eve, as long as she left milk and cookies for Santa, we would have anything but turkey for dinner, and for a long run of Christmasses I would give her an enormous and lavish Lego assortment, a castle or a pirate ship, which we would build together on Christmas day

And so a pic from one of those Christmasses, as we prepare for a long road trip.

Blondie, checking out the ornaments, Christmas 1985, Zaragoza Spain

We’ll be back New Years’ Day— have a lovely holiday and the most wonderful and promising of New Years!