Last night my family and I drove to a small holiday party. We exchanged gifts with family we won't be able to see again before Christmas. It was a gray and rainy day. The sun didn't peek out once. The drive home was amazingly foggy, a very unusual evening. If we do have fog, it tends to occur in the early morning and quickly burn off once the sun has risen. It's really beautiful driving past all the lakes where wisps of fog pool next to trees covered in Spanish Moss. My new driver daughter, Prudence,drove home behind me, her first ever drive in the fog. She had her dad as copilot which enabled me to relax. She did well, but I don't think she's anxious to repeat the experience.

Even the city skyline was obscured by fog.


Today, another gray day, we went to a nearby hotel for a gingerbread house building demonstration. We used to make one every year, and, now that I'm not working, we're going to do one again. They had a gingerbread house large enough to stand in on display in the lobby. It even had a chimney with cinnamon scented 'smoke'. A chef came out and decorated several small gingerbread houses.

I got some great tips from that pastry chef. In years past, I just made a big house and bought a ton of candies and cereals. I made some royal icing and let the kids decorate it as they pleased. One of the best things I learned was that the candies are great, but you can do a lot with just the icing and a pastry bag. I now know how to make icicles on the roof that won't break off!!! Our house will be smaller this year, but I think it will be the prettiest yet.

We even got to have roast chestnuts and hot cocoa. While the girls drank their cocoas, we sat by the three-story tree and watched all the people arriving from out of town. Babies in velvet dresses, kids who'd clearly been permitted to dress themselves and kids in shorts and coats.