Here I am in Colorado, celebrating Christmas with my five grandboys: Jack, Noah, Joshua, Nathaniel, and Caleb, as well as their parents Corinna and Patrick. As one can only imagine, life is exciting with five under ten. Chess and cribbage are games of choice. Nathaniel is happy to share his birthday with the baby Jesus.

Sean's boxes of childhood treasures have not yet arrived, but strict instructions not to open before Christmas have.

Stephen continues well in Idaho, and Annie is ever a comfort in East Brookline. Unfortunately, I needed to ask Michael to move out a month or so ago, and he is yet to get on his feet, but we're hoping.

As for fife and drum, Cori and Pat joined me for the William Diamond Muster in May, where Pat and I went on stand with the Menotomy Minutemen, he on fife, I on barrel drum. I attended Deep River but didn't play there, played at Westbrook, and finished the season on stand at Sudbury.

I continue to have my fellow parishioners and neighbors over for dinner on Wednesdays. It's good to try out and share the weekly recipes from the NY-Times. We enjoy the chat and the movie after.

As an additioal blessing, Grace Jones, a graduate student at Boston College, has asked me to be her sponsor for the RCIA program at St. Mary's, so she joins us for our Wednesday dinners.

All in all, it's been a good year and I'm grateful for all my blessings.

Love,
Ole Dan