Final Thursday of the year must mean final three beautiful things of 2011, too. Here we go:

1. A construction crew (I assume) has decorated a small pine tree in the median of the Merritt Parkway.

2. The buzzing that has been a constant in my head since October subsides finally after Christmas. If something has been forgotten/missed/overlooked/left undone, it’s too late to do anything about it, and that’s such a relief.

3. I received some truly lovely Christmas presents this year, but my most favorite was time with my parents, Gramma, Rudi, and Karen and her family. I never get as much of it as I’d like, so I try really hard to savor that which I’m given.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope your holidays are full of laughter and light and loved ones.

Here are three beautiful things from my past week:

1. I have forgotten to transfer my cash from one outfit to the next, but don’t realize this until after I place my order. The man at the counter tells me just to give him what I have and calls it close enough. “There’s no reason to get upset about it. Pay me the next time you come in,” he says, even though I have never been in before. But I will be back, Pumpernickels Deli, I will be back.

2. I take my car in to have the blower replaced, since it hasn’t worked since we brought it down to D.C. two years ago. Turns out that a family of mice had made a very weather-proof home once upon a time, and now that the insulation is cleared out of the old blower and the vents, my little car has a defroster — and heat! — again.

3. I paint my fingernails alternatingly red and green. The polish is not quick-dry and so I make a big mess of everything, but the payoff is equally large, as I have cheerful hands and receive compliments from a surprising number of people.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world this week?

Ten days until Christmas!

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. The first Christmas cards arrive.

2. A couple wearing Santa hats pedal past me on a bike built for two.

3. A nearly full moon rises over the Eastern Market Christmas tree.

How about you? What was beautiful in your world this week?

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Merry Tuba Christmas at the Kennedy Center is filled with 300 deep, innards-rumbling instruments. It makes “Good King Wenceslas” and “Joy to the World” that much more fun to sing along with.

2. Having the Burrow slowly fill up with people for a party and then having it empty back out again.

3. The books I’m reading are bumming me out and I decide I need a change. I grab the copy of A Child’s Christmas in Wales Mum and Dad gave me for my birthday and tuck it in my bag. I pull it out while waiting for the train and start to read — aloud but under my breath — and instantly feel calmer. Somehow, being read to (even if I am the one doing the reading) just feels right.

How about you? What was beautiful in your world this week?

Hello, December! Fancy meeting you here and now. I need a little more time to properly prepare for your arrival, though, so would you mind terribly doing another loop around the block and come back a smidge later? Thanks.

Three beautiful things from my past week (in November):

1. After my parents leave to take the guys to the airport, Rudi and I curl up in my folks’ recliners and read all afternoon — he from his computer and I from a Christmas-themed library book. It’s just the sort of down time we haven’t had in a long while.

2. The day Karen and I have set aside to meet up is unseasonably warm. We intersperse gingerbread pancakes and book shopping with a stroll along the river (sans jackets!) and chatting over hot drinks outdoors.

3. I spend the afternoon decorating Gramma’s tree with Dad and decorating Spritz cookies with Mum. Everyone feels the encroachment of time, but doing fun things together helps to take the sting out of leaving.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world recently?

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! [Oops. I fell asleep without hitting publish. Happy day after Thanksgiving, too!] I haven’t forgotten about sharing the end of my trip with you. It’s just that we followed our trip to Iceland with a trip to Connecticut to spend Thanksgiving with my family.

Here are three beautiful things from the previous week:

1. My brother and his partner Matt have come east for the holiday. Although I was charmed by Matt the first time we met a couple years back, we hadn’t spent more than a couple hours together until now. I’m delighted that he really, authentically seems to be a nice guy — just the sort of person you’d hope your kid brother would end up with.

2. Our cats were super excited to have us home again, and all three of them curled up on the bed with us at night.

3. The day before we were due to head home from Iceland, we decided to rent a car and head out to see some more sights (and sites). It ended up being a really good day full of scenery, history, and bonhomie.

I hope you, too, had a Thanksgiving surrounded by those you are most grateful to have in your life.