In which I acknowledge that I have failed to give you anything witty, bitter or otherwise kind-of-sort-of worth your reading time ...

Sorry about that.

It just doesn't feel like there's much to write about.

There's snow. And lots of it. (Cold, too)

There's Christmas, and how I'm bitter that I have to work during it, and how I'm working on an attitude adjustment and resisting the urge to sit down and cry myself sick out of sheer, pathetic self-pity.

There's snowshoeing, and how I really, really liked it.

There's ... no. I guess that's actually it.

And now: Christmas

What do I recommend for Christmas?

In Laramie/Cheyenne/Wyoming/Nebraska/the Rocky Mountain/Great Plains areas, I recommend chains or studsd on tires, charged cell phone batteries, staying put if you can, warm blankies, hot cocoa and great music. And a cheesy fireplace-on-a-DVD. I love that.

I also recommend connecting with warm-hearted, generous people like Kat and Phil Martin who will grab you by the arm and order you to be at their house at 10 a.m. Christmas morning for eggs and waffles, pajamas totally encouraged.

I whole-heartedly recommend a Christmas Eve church service. There are 14 churches that I could find in Laramie and Rock River that are offering services beginning at 7 a.m. Christmas Eve (anointing of the sick at St. Laurence) and ending with a mid-Christmas Day mass (St. Laurence again). Packed in between are plenty of opportunities for you to grab a candle, sing Christmas carols, listen to the Christmas story, take communion and remember why we celebrate Christmas and why it should be such a big, huge deal - with or without the trimmings and trappings.

I recommend tipping extra if you're using a service at Christmas (baristas, waitresses, pizza dudes, etc.). I recommend that you smile at everyone who's trying to cut in line in front of you (this is so much more difficult for me than it should be. As you all know ...). I recommend thanking people for working Christmas, whether you can tip them or not. I recommend sledding. I recommend long underwear and warm, woolly socks. I recommend kisses, with or without mistletoe. I recommend waving (all five fingers) at snow plow drivers and highway patrol officers who are making sure your holiday travels are as safe as possible.

At the office, I recommend granting one particular copy editor permission to wear knee-high red-and-white striped socks topped with white faux fur. And a Santa hat. It would probably do as much to make her day as anything else will at that point.

In general, I recommend Luke's narrative of the Nativity. Indulge.

I guess there was something to write about after all ...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a silent, holy night.