My Favorite Day of the Year

Yes, Christmas Eve, not Christmas Day, is my very favorite day of the year. It's all about the anticipation hanging in the air, the feeling that it's almost, almost there, just out of reach. All the last minute things to do, hanging the stockings, putting cookies out for Santa, the children wriggling with impatience. The empty streets late at night, giving the feeling that all of the world's shut down. That everyone's home with their families or friends, safe from the cold and snow. It's an idealized feeling, this kind of Christmas Eve.