Christmas dinner with my Boston (Quincy, actually) family was interesting and my daughter Kate was incredible. She served a fabulous repast to one vegetarian, two allergic to gluten, and one Paleo man (yes- gluten-free but heavy on the protein), out of a total of nine diners, plus herself.

She served enormous, gorgeous bowls and platters of roasted potatoes, roasted brussels sprouts, roasted carrots, cornmeal stuffing baked outside the crown roast of pork as well as in. The salad included beets from her own garden - so sweet! - and I can’t remember what else, other than the crumbled feta cheese. The vegetarian brought her own protein thing, don’t know what, to sub for the pork,and a gluten-free chocolate cake that looked like fudge. Most of us enjoyed the traditional plum pudding and hard sauce, but of course there were plates of sweet things: home-made turtles and peanut brittle, shortbread, and so on. No one avoided the sugar, as far as I could tell.

I actually began to write this several days ago while I was still in Quincy but my resolve weakened and I became a vegetable, roasting by the fire. I’ve been remiss since returning to Channel 204 (the Fireplace Channel - not the same) because I signed up for a new course in screenwriting and I’ve had homework to do every day that took precedent over my blog. Today, however, the last day of the year, I’m giving precedent to my blog, for what it’s worth, looking back at the year that was. A tough one, by all accounts, not to dwell heavily upon it.

You know I’ve maintained for the years you have known me that September is a better time for new resolutions and projects because everything is starting up again after the summer more or less off. This year it’s not true for me. I have a whole list of good intentions in so many different areas that I am daunted by the prospect. So far, I am looking at a blank journal, gloriously blank, not yet filled in.

It will be a good year. Make it so.