I was supposed to write this on Sunday, but didn’t:

The weekend began with John and Nicole and a Baggins and a Smaug. We caught the 3D version of The Hobbit, part 2, and were remarkably pleased with it. The spiders of Mirkwood made me jump and several other 3D effects had me flinching, although I’d be hard-pressed to tell you what they were right now. I liked the addition of Tauriel, the female elf captain, who was not in the book (because female characters didn’t engage in swordfights in the early 20th century, one assumes) and appreciated that Smaug’s voice had been run through some filters so he didn’t sound exactly like Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Holmes. Martin Freeman’s Bilbo did share some inflections with John Watson, though (both characters are frustrated by regularly being talked over by their companions). We mulled over the movie with some pizza and beers (mine was root), before hopping on trains home.

The weekend marked the beginning of Rudi’s winter second job as a ski coach, so we only saw each other during the evenings. I started the Christmas cards and listened to some Christmas music and did some chores around the house, including washing most of the wool socks.

Saturday evening, I had free passes to see G.W.’s Revels, an annual celebration through dance, song, theater, and spoken word of the solstice. I had enjoyed Conn’s annual version of this, Make We Joy, so was hoping for something similar. I was not disappointed, although Lisner Auditorium is no Chapel. This year’s cultural theme was Thrace, so the performances focused on Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, and other countries in that region. We danced during “The Lord of the Dance” and sang a variety of songs with the cast and generally had a blast.

Sunday included a failed attempt at baking (how could I be out of confectionery sugar?) and Megan and Sarah’s annual Christmas cartoon party and reading (Better Nate Than Ever, a fun romp of a middle-grade book for the budding theater geek in your life) and some more card-writing (once I get past “F,” I’m home free, but I’m only up to “D”).

I wrapped up the weekend with an errand-filled early Monday morning, including dropping off our Toys for Tots donations at the local charity bookshop and buying Christmas stamps for all those cards.