Christmas Eve

I finally got the kids in bed, but no one is asleep. I just made some cream puffs, stuffed them with vanilla ice cream, and froze them. I'll thaw them tomorrow for dessert. One wouldn't fit in my Rubbermade container, so I ate it (great excuse). I'll be making a chocolate sauce and a raspberry sauce (probably) to go with them tomorrow. I may skip the raspberry sauce because I think I'll be the only one willing to eat it.

Mr. K has poured me a glass of our mead. It isn't as good as my brother-in-law made it a couple years ago. I think it still needs to age more.

We aren't sure what to do about Santa since we are afraid the kids are going to be up in bed very late.

We're having a roast beef dinner tomorrow. No one is coming over. It will just be us. We don't go to church on Christmas because the crowds bother me too much. We used to attend Christmas and Easter, but the services are so packed that I am miserable. We try to attend church the rest of the year, so I prefer to let people who only come on Christmas and Easter contend with the shortage of parking and seats at the church, and not compete for the parking and seats.

Our neighbor is running out of beer, cigarettes, and money. He's been selling anything he can (my husband bought a rifle from him), and giving away some of his stuff because I guess he realizes he may become a street person in no time. Today Mr. K took him to the pawn shop to sell his class ring and an old sword. I think it will keep him in beer and cigarettes for a few days.

Mr. K brought up in the car yesterday that he is wrestling with what his Christian duty is to help losers. I've been wondering the same thing. Our neighbor is what appears to be a hopeless alcoholic. He never plans to work again. Unless someone in his family takes him in and gives him a room, beer, and cigarettes, I guess he'll go live on the street and beg soon. He refuses to work, and even if he wanted to, I don't know of any place who would hire a smelly, nearly toothless alcoholic who looks like a street person. Just the liability of having someone drunk while working is going to put off any employer.

We thought he'd be on the street nearly a year ago, but his friend bought his house from him before it went into foreclosure, and he's been living on its equity. He's spent it all, and said it had been three or four months since he paid his friend any rent. I think his friend my be having cash flow problems, so I don't know how long he can afford a non-paying tenant. The place is so trashed, though, it would take a lot of work and money to make it fit for a "real" tenant.

The kids sort of know what is going on and that our neighbor has no money. We can't really tell them he'll be okay when we really don't know if he will. Anyway, we'll take the kids over tomorrow to visit with him for a little while.