Tangled Up in Tinsel

If you know me, you know I'm not a phone person,

Never mind a cell phone, I'm not even a land line person. Phones, for me, are only used on an as-needed basis. In fact, mine rarely rings because friends and family know of my phone feelings.

Which means there are only so many likelihoods when you're sitting at home alone on Christmas evening and the phone rings.

For a change, it can't be robo calls or telemarketers. Even those nuisances dry up come December 25. It's unlikely to be family since I'd been with them earlier in the day. And friends rarely call on a normal day, much less a major holiday.

Except that when I look at the caller ID, it is a friend. A friend I've known since college. The friend who told me I was hopelessly romantic before I knew it myself. A friend I don't get to see regularly any more since he moved multiple states away.

He just wanted to know how I was. Then, in his usual, understated way and without asking why, he proceeded to tell me that he wasn't concerned that I hadn't been blogging all month. That he thought it was a good thing that I was taking a break. He wanted to know if I was seeing anyone. If I had a good Christmas.

In other words, he was concerned and he couldn't let the holiday go by without checking up on my state of mind.

I could say I was pea green with envy that he was wearing shorts and flip flops outside while chatting with me. But what I really felt was all kinds of happy to unexpectedly hear from him on a lonely Christmas night.

Don't get me wrong, I've had a lot of wonderful Christmases. Forgive my lack of enthusiasm, but this was most definitely not one of them.

Let's just say and to all a good night.