Nose to the Grindstone

Back to the grind.

As much of a Christmas maniac as I am, my very favorite day is the day after Christmas. It is my only day off all year. School is out. Leftovers abound. There is candy laying around.

These things are also true of the day after Thanksgiving, but I don't take that day off. And although there are plenty of leftovers and some pie the day after Thanksgiving, the day after Christmas has one more perk: there is always something to play with.

Mrs. Morris gave me a laminating machine. I don't know what I'll laminate. But look out, I'll be laminating everything. You could be next.

Mrs. Andrews gave us some plastic boxes in which to store our saint medals. Sister St. Aloysius busied herself sorting.

Sister Mary Fiacre ate See's Candy from Mrs. Gott. I haven't checked to see how much she got through. If there's anything left I'll laminate it.

We had a lovely Christmas day looking at the twinkling lights and listening to the children sing at Mass. The eighth grade boys get to do the bass "puddly pum" part of "The Little Drummer Boy" and they are very proud because their voices have changed. Some of them, anyhow. Some are still Vienna Boys Choir material for another year or so. At any rate it's about the only time of year the eighth grade boys are enjoyable. The rest of the year their company perpetually attains penance rating. "For your penance, hang around the eighth grade boys for a couple of hours."

I also received a 'gag' gift. I am well known for asking people who leave the room with no explanation and shortly return if they have washed their hands. Some anonymous person left me one of those "EMPLOYEES MUST WASH HANDS" placards with a note that said "from Teddy". I suspect it was Sister St. Aloysius. Teddy doesn't have any money. Teddy took the day off, too. Here he is under the tree.



By the way, when you wash your hands while you've left the room for a short time, you should sing "Twinkle, twinkle little star" while you do it. The whole song, not just that one phrase, otherwise you're hands will not really be clean. This is for all you people who slide their hands under the faucet for two seconds....'twinkle, twinkle'....you're out of there. This will not do.

Today we are all back at our routines with a few added responsibilities, like watering the 2 million poinsettias that are placed around the altar without getting water on the carpet. We are taking Sister Mary Fiacre with us to the church and parking her next to the manger scene. I think she scared a poor old lady who imagined she was one of the wise men for a second there. That woman should have realized it's not time for the wise men yet.