We said we weren't giving presents this year except to our son, but somehow everyone has brought a bunch of presents anyway, and so we're opening most of them tomorrow. Everyone seems to feel that this year requires presents because we lost my sister to cancer not long ago, but I really don't need or want material things. Possessions don't compensate for a loss.

So far today, I've gotten four things. Two of these were at my aunt's house, where we had a big Christmas get-together with our extended family. I got a set of good binoculars, which I'd been wanting, and some cologne.

My husband woke me up this morning early and made me cry by giving me one of his presents, which was a new wedding ring. Since we've been married, that's been something he does every few Christmases, give me a new, different wedding ring (sometimes a plain band, sometimes something from someplace we've traveled). It's his way of re-affirming our vows, he says, and I wasn't expecting that this year, but he surprised me. It's very beautiful. And just a little while ago when we got home from my aunt's, my in-laws gave me a set of Shun chef knives (Japanese steel knives) that blew me away. My mother-in-law wanted me to have them tonight in case I needed to use them to prepare food for tomorrow, and now I'm just dying to cut something up! I'm about to go practice on some carrots.