Jack Frost nipping at your nose

The end of December is quickly approaching, which means that that exciting, enjoyable, reflective, depressingly warm and happy, occasionally cloying Christmas spirit is inevitably descending on the country. We bought a tree from Boy Scout Troop 466 last weekend and have been singing carols since Thanksgiving. With a fire crackling away next to a twinkling tree, it's easy to get lost in thought.