:-)

I put some oak and pine branches near the kittens' play area in the backyard and watched them play hide and seek with each other... even the usually languid mama cat Sangria joined in. They were adorable.

Since we were having a guest over for dinner, I spent much of the day cleaning up and partially preparing meals. But I also managed to watch some of STAR TREK: NEMESIS and YENTL in high definition. Some of those songs in YENTL still affect me emotionally, the way they first did when I first saw it in 1983 (with my mother's neighbor's Nini and Steph).

So this was the big night we've been looking forward to, a night where Philip and I could show off our newly renovated public areas (the great room, kitchen and hall). Scott (bearing a beautiful amaryllis plant for us) was our guinea pig. He "oohed" and "ahhed" at our khaki walls (and seemed to especially like the red accent wall), taupe ceilings and subtle lighting. He screamed when he saw the big HD television!

Philip made salad and steaks... I made mashed potatoes (with beef broth, butter and chives), tomato and white bean soup (a mix from Harry and David) and molten chocolate cakes (a mix from Williams-Sonoma). It was all delicious.

After dinner we watched my friend Varla Jean Merman's HOLIDAY HAM show (on dvd from a live show she did in Los Angeles a couple of years ago). It still strikes me as brilliant, even after all the times I've seen the dvd and the live productions. When she sang "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" it was almost as if he / she was singing it to me.

"Through the years, we all will be together... if the fates allow."

(a tear gathers in the corner of my eye)

We also caught the tale end of the Kennedy Center Honors ceremony. The tribute to Sir Elton John was very entertaining. Speaking of Sir Elton John... Varla and Elton have met (check out the lower left image in the big collage)!

After Scott left Philip and I watched a bit of "Carniv�le" and "The Tonight Show" (both in HD).

I stayed up after Philip went to bed so I could watch my favorite version of A CHRISTMAS CAROL. Its real title is SCROOGE but for some reason, in recent years, it is listed as "A Christmas Carol" on cable guides. But anyway, it's the one from 1951... with Alastair Sim playing Ebenezer Scrooge. I don't think I mentioned it in the diary, but last week, Philip and I saw Patrick Stewart as Scrooge in a 1999 television version of the Dicken's classic. It was pretty good (we both love Patrick Stewart)... but the way the 1951 version moves me has yet to be topped.