We wake to a gray, foggy, and rainy morning, a day that promises only to compound the misery of trying to do anything in town. It’s the kind of day that one wants to stay inside, cuddle up,

and watch the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s performance of The Nutcracker.

It’s almost ninety minutes of dancing, with only limited, very sporadic narration, yet the Girl sits, fascinated. “When is the Sugar Plum Fairy coming?” she asks, over and over and over, with it often coming out as “Sugar Flum Pairy.”

Yet it’s not all relaxing, even if two of the three of us is feeling a little less than 100%. With Christmas nearing, it’s time to get to work on the Wigilia dinner — the Christmas Eve food extravaganza. Tonight, it’s pierogi z kapustą i grzybami (dumplings with cabbage and mushrooms) and uszka z grzybami (smaller dumplings — “ears” — with mushrooms).

We all have different jobs, with the Girl having the most fun and consequently making the biggest mess.