Christmas morning 2022 is our second morning without power. Our generator operates one outlet in the kitchen, so it’s a constant rotation of plugging in what’s most important. The coffee maker. The internet. The toaster. The instapot. And this morning, the Christmas tree lights. Paul dug out a long extension cord and ran the power from the kitchen to the living room to light the Christmas tree. The joy that light brings is wonderful.

I stayed awake until 1 am last night to put our traditional breakfast casserole in the crockpot, hoping it would cook okay. It worked if a bit soggy, but it was a nod to one of our holiday traditions. By mutual agreement, we’ve decided to put off our Christmas dinner of ham, scalloped potatoes, pineapple stuffing, brussels sprouts, and chocolate mousse until New Years’ day. Hannah cooked up a pasta dish in the Instapot, and we made microwave mug cakes for dessert.

With a tree down across the road hanging on the power line, a neighbor took a chainsaw to the tree and cut enough of the branches off the tree so it is possible to drive under. Not the safest thing, but Paul ventured out today to visit the gas station for more fuel for the generator – enough to last us into tomorrow evening. I have my fingers crossed that we’ll be reconnected tomorrow, but the power company says it could be as late as Wednesday. Fingers crossed!

Despite the challenges of the power outage, we had a lovely day. Hannah’s gift theme for me was Charlie Harper and I’ve got a book, puzzle, and game to keep me busy during my days off.

Merry Christmas!