another Christmas, another year

Christmas weekend, it's so called "Blizzard" outside now. The sidewalk downstairs has been covered by snow, a late white Christmas fairy tale. In yellow dim light, surrounded by Rachmaninoff's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, those pieces left somewhere in the corner are coming back together, all about holiday...

"Christmas 2006, Light Rain, 5:03PM

This is the first diary after I came here, I think maybe I should use English to record my life here, though it’s possible to filter out some subtle feeling in this second language. But anyway, it’s at least a real situation for me. (...) I found it here, and could enjoy it most of the time in this small space in 66 square feet. (...) But, now I want to ask myself a question __ is this what I’m looking forward to. (...) The more peaceful the surrounding environment is, the more complex my mind is. I don’t know why I’m going on typing these words. One year ago, I… "

A file was digged out from my old laptop, it started with these words. I guess I was trying to catch some thoughts. But as the broken sentences, whatever feeling behind has got too blur to recall. It's like reading someone else's words, except it was about my first Christmas in New York, four years ago.

The file didn't continue as it supposed to be as a diary. Words are not really my thing, and I'm not a "diary person" after all. However, with the help of images, I got pretty fresh memory in the two following X'mas, both in the Cathedral of St.John the Divine.

2007, a flickr pro membership as X'mas gift led me to my La La Land. Thank you, J!!! 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8499133@N02/sets/72157603569427157/

I spent the whole afternoon in the cathedral, listening the story of how Jesus was born and watching angels passing by.
This was my first Christmas in a church.

People were waiting outside the church for very limited seats (only one third of the cathedral was open to public then).
This was my first time in a Christmas Eve Mass.

2008, a heavy raining Christmas Eve before I left for my first vacation back home.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8499133@N02/sets/72157611624726376/with/3135190638/

People were sharing Body and Blood of of Jesus during ceremony.

Then it came the 2009, a pure white Christmas after a lovely Eve in country house, just as I had always dreamed about since I was a kid.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8499133@N02/sets/72157623090826228/
  

It was like two days ago, we were in this house.




Just passed midnight.
Sidewalk has blended into the street. Only a trace of footprints can define where it used to be.
Tomorrow is another day, next week is another year. I'm wondering how is my next Christmas going to be...