How did it get to be Thursday already? And it’s the end of Thursday, even… That doesn’t seem fair. If I promise we don’t need to go back and work again, could we rewind to Monday?

But, no, time marches forward and all we can do is note three beautiful things to mark the passing of the time:

1. Who knew that all it would take to make Northern Virginia pretty is a fresh blanket of snow?

2. The living room glows pink when the Christmas tree is the only thing lit.

3. Glee had its fall finale on Wednesday, and I enjoyed the last episode as much as the first one we saw over the summer. It’s far from a perfect show. In fact, it might be the most flawed show I’ve ever loved, but love it I do. I can (almost) overlook the plot sinkholes and the egregious overuse of auto-tune because of the things the show does have going for it: A great soundtrack (the overproduction of the songs isn’t so obvious on the cd where there’s no dialogue to compare it to) you can sing along to. Characters you like (or like to hate). (Incidentally, I think Quinn might be my favorite, which was a surprise to me.) And a sense of joie de vivre I can’t find anywhere else on tv.

What beautiful things have you noticed recently?

Christmas Eve is three weeks from today. That thought is simultaneously wonderful and terrifying. Instead of continuing to focus on how few hours fit into 21 days, let’s cast our eyes backwards and reflect on three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Feeling tired, cranky, and generally achy, I lie down for half an hour. I feel so much better when I get up.

2. Julia and I had made plans to meet for lunch Monday. Knowing there would be a friendly face halfway through the day made it that much easier to go back to work after five days off.

3. Today’s entries in the Virtual Advent Tour include a look at Dylan Thomas’ “A Child’s Christmas in Wales.” I can’t remember if I own a text version of the story, but I have an LP of Thomas reading it. Wanting to share it, since Nymeth mentioned how the language practically demands to be read aloud, I found a copy of it on NPR that gives additional background information on its recording. Dylan being Dylan, it really is an incomparably beautiful aural experience. “I said some words to the close and holy darkness and then I slept.”

What’s been beautiful in your world during these days of shortened light?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you had wonderful celebrations with your loved ones. We spent a wonderful day watching the parade, cooking, eating, and touching base with friends and family, which I think pretty much embodies how the day is supposed to go.

I offer you here three beautiful things from my week:

1. Two women in purple pause during their workday to walk a pocket-sized puppy.

2. I notice the first Christmas lights on Hilliard where two small trees sparkled with silver lights. The next night, a full-sized tree adorns a front window near Whole Foods and a strand of multi-colored lights decorates a fourth-floor apartment window.

3. Tiny Japanese maple leaves turn scarlet outside the Colombian embassy. And Hilliard is blanketed with golden ginkgo leaves.

What’s been beautiful in your world recently? Or what were you particularly thankful for today?

Our drive to Connecticut, which normally averages 8 hours, took 12 instead. It was a surprising turn-of-event, but not as painful as you might think. I did, after all, have my favorite guy, good tunes (including two new cds Dad mailed down for the occasion), and knitting to help while away the time.

Here are three beautiful things from our drive:

1. We drove up Maryland Route 40 instead of taking 95, from just north of Baltimore to the Delaware Memorial Bridge. At one point, while sitting at a light, we realized that although it was raining over the car there was sun behind us. We probably would have missed the rainbow in front of us if we’d been on the highway.

2. Road food is an important aspect of any trip. We stopped for a 5 p.m. lunch at a hot dog stand in Wilmington, Delaware, where delicious meals for two ran me a whopping $11. And we just squeaked into our old favorite pizza joint as they were closing. We were too late for table service, but we split our piping hot takeout pie while sitting in the car outside. We dripped cheese and sauce and our fingers ran with grease. I don’t think there were two happier people in all of New England. I kept sighing with contentment the rest of the drive north. (Thank you, Modern employees, for making us a final pizza of the night. We are truly, truly grateful.)

3. A later start meant we got to see the first Christmas lights in New Jersey (my favorite state for holiday decorations). And by the time we were driving on the Merritt Parkway, the fog curled around the trees in the median, offering ghostly shadows as car headlights bounced past.

Have a happy Thanksgiving tomorrow everyone. I hope you’re spending it with people you love.

It’s a dark and dreary day here in D.C., full of November rain. But melancholy has no place here, as it’s Thursday. Time to turn our eyes to the beautiful moments from the last week.

Here are three from mine:

1. As Rudi and I pedal over to the D.C. Tweed Ride start location Sunday morning, we find ourselves amidst the pealing of church bells from across the city. It’s a heart-stirring experience.

2. I signed up last night to take part in the Help the Homeless Walkathon and friends have already boosted me my fundraising goal. There is absolutely nothing beautiful about those who don’t have steady work, a safe roof over their heads, or enough to eat. But in tight times, it is good that there are places who reach out to serve people who have so little. Martha’s Table does good work to help children, in particular, and I have excellent friends who believe their dollars can make a difference.

3. Apple crisp just out of the oven — with a helping of whipped cream.

What are some of the beautiful things from your world this week?

It’s 1:30 a.m. and I just finished work for the day. (A last minute emergency has our whole project working crazy hours today or tomorrow…) As such, please forgive my potentially terse comments. I swear it’s all beautiful. But so is my bed, where I desperately would like to go lay my head.

Three beautiful things from the past week:

1. Rudi whistling in the shower.

2. New cheery (salmon, bright blue with pink sparkly flowers, seafoam, and pink argyle) kneesocks to wear with my (blue polka dot) galoshes. Rainy days are just so cheery in my world, and everyone seems to agree, since they almost universally comment on one or t’other.

3. The book I just finished included girls getting ready for a prom-themed dance. I am transported back to high school — junior year when, after I was rejected (kindly) by the guy I asked, Karen went to the movies with me and senior year when Grey Kitten and I danced the night away. Such good memories of such good friends.