Son of the Magical Xmas Grumpus

Hello Woo Land,

Seasons greetings to you sporadic visitors of the land of Woo. Apologies for the absence, but I've been a wreck since the return from Ethiopia (which was an awesome wonderful trip by the way). Basic recap of symptoms: a serious bout of jet laggardness, potential viral poisoning by Dutch flight attendants, and an unabated rejection by an infuriated Mr. M for my 10 day absence in his life. Or that's how it felt to this guilt ridden mother figure. To compensate, I paid him off in crisp $20 dollar bills (left over Canadian from the Toronto trip), along with Martha Graham inspired guilt-dances accompanied by passive aggressive monologues about my so-called "importance" in his life. With colored scarves, no less.

He should be fine now.

This weekend was Mr. M's second Santa visit. And oh my goodness, the joy in his eyes. He seemed so enthralled with the magic of Xmas. Here's the evidence.








I swear, this is a happy child, all giggles and smiles before and after these shots. But seriously, he knows this "natural beard" Santa is a fraud. I applaud Mr. M for his well poised intuition and rejection of convention.

Here's what really made his boat float one hour later...







The train display at the Hitchcock building. That's what the holidays are all about. Public transportation.