Twas the Night Before...

December 24th is a day I like to keep calm and relaxed. Everything ready for the 25th and nothing for my brain to scurry around and finish up—except this year. Not that my brain is scurrying around, you understand. But the contractors are. My brain is quite patiently waiting for the workers to leave my kitchen so I can stuff things back into drawers and cupboards and figure out where everything was or is or cannot be located for the love of Pete (whoever he is). Family-of-choice coming tomorrow for dinner. Fortunately, I know that they're here to see me regardless of the condition of the house (which likely will not get vacuumed and dusted tonight because given the choice between cleaning and sleeping my brain always selects “sleep” so it will be on top of the world tomorrow). So I opted to read a story while waiting (patiently!). The one by Carlo DeVito about a present Mark Twain was told he would receive on Dec 25^th, 1908. A baby elephant to be delivered to his home Stormfield, in Redding, Connecticut. I love stories by or about that most unusual brain with the name Mark Twain and A Mark Twain Christmas is no exception. Have a lovely evening. Meantime I’ll relax with the rest of this story . . .