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Yes, it is comparatively calm around this house this morning.

Just one break in the calm so far: when Bill showed me what Bridie had done to the tassel on the new Gonzaga stocking cap Annie had given me this week.

Silly me!

I should have been wearing it while out doing my chores. Since it's warmed up a bit, I chose a baseball cap instead.

Bridie could be on a roll today because I also found a deposit of chewed up toilet paper in her stolen goods spot by the sliding glass door.

Two indiscretions and it's just after 7 a.m. Plus, she has not had a chance yet today to engage in her newest habit: taking one of Bill's wader socks out to the driveway and then going on about her business.

Of course, Mom or Dad will retrieve the item and put it back inside the garage for Bridie's next episode.

Anyway, we dealt with bitter cold and snow and worries much of the day yesterday.

Willie, Debbie, her brother Russ and two dogs had three mother hens texting them through most of the day to see where they were on their trip down HWY 95 to Boise.

We worried, knowing all the horrible conditions throughout the country.

Hallelujahs rang out about 8 p.m. when a final text noted that "We are in Boise."

No snow was falling when I did my morning chores. That was nice.

The "best???" is yet to come, however, with freezing rain and possible ice sheets much like what we saw yesterday in videos showing wretched conditions in Seattle and Portland and basically the Pacific Northwest coastal areas.

We do have the consolation that we, at least, are prepared for winter conditions. So, maybe it won't be quite as a bad as it looked in the videos.

If the power stays on and we can still walk with our Yak Trax, maybe we'll be all right. We do, however, plan for the worst.

Oh yeah, in the midst of all this, Christmas is still happening. No postponing.

Could be Christmas doesn't turn out exactly the way we all envisioned, but if we all get along and keep track of each other and do what we can to keep spirits bright, that will be nice.

It does occur to me, pretty much every year that the best gifts do not come in wrapping paper and ribbons.

The best gifts any of us can give at Christmas are kindness, caring, interest and appreciation for our family, friends, neighbors and all with whom we come in contact throughout the year.

It's an assignment and a gift to be remembered 365 days a year.

Granted, it's not always easy but certainly worth giving it a try.

Happy Saturday and Merry Christmas Eve.

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A fun read from today's New York Times Saturday newsletter

The best of everything

Last week, I told you about my wish that everyone I know would send me super specific best-of-2022 lists. I dreamed of lists that would go beyond the usual cultural highlights like “best movie” or “best book” and include people’s best changes in their routines, the best seltzers they tried, the best ideas they had.

I’ve spent the past week delightedly awash in a tide of your very subjective favorite things. Today, I’ll share your picks for what to do, buy, watch, eat and more — the best of the action verbs. Next week, in time for the new year, I’ll devote the newsletter to the best advice you received.

The best stuff you did

A few readers happened on methods for dealing with insomnia. Mariana Scott of Dublin, Calif., advised a light workout in the middle of the night. “Then if you’re too exhausted to exercise during the day,” she said, “at least you already did something.” Alice Casella in Rockland, Maine, recommended getting up, making a cup of tea and doing a small chore, like cleaning the silverware organizer.

The best German phrase Lauren Oster in New York City learned via Duolingo this year was “Und für meinen Anwalt eine Apfelschorle” (“And for my lawyer, a sparkling apple juice”). The best phrase Kelly Nichols of Highland Park, Ill., learned (in English) was “weaponized incompetence.”

Elaine Chiodi in Berkeley Township, N.J., gave us her best bowling tip: to make sure that your thumb is pointing up when you’re holding the ball. It raised her scores from the 60s-80s to the high 90s-120s. Gaayathri Binoj of Chesterfield, Mo., offered her best chess opening: “the Scotch Gambit — sacrificing a pawn for a wild battle.”

Tara Barranco in Worcester, Mass., reported that the best way to rake leaves was to simply mulch them with a lawn mower. The best thing Wendy Ames in Brookline, Mass., did for holidays was to buy gifts throughout the year, then wrap them in the first week of December so she’d feel calm in the weeks before Christmas. (Let’s all start in January!)

Your best in culture

Even though there’s no end to traditional best-of lists, it’s still a thrill to hear what you loved. We had recommendations for the film “Everything, Everywhere All at Once,” and more than one person’s top book was “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow," by Gabrielle Zevin.

Other favorites:

Best television episode: The “New Jazz” episode of “Atlanta.” — J.P. Hoornstra, Los Angeles

Best opera for those who think they don’t like opera: Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore.” — Marilyn Perrin, Medford, Ore.

Best kids’ shows that won’t make you want to jump off a cliff: “Bluey,” “Gabby’s Dollhouse,” “The Snoopy Show.” — Janie Slavens, Brooklyn

Best song for your workout playlist: “Tommy,” by Ralph. — Clare Nauman, Tampere, Finland

Best murder mystery novel series: Louise Penny’s “Three Pines.” — Janice Gasker, Fleetwood, Pa.

The best smells

You recommended the scent of seedless blackberry jam on the stovetop, Sur la Table’s white peppercorn (best holiday scent, in multiple products) and “my dogs’ breath after brushing with their favorite poultry-flavored toothpaste. Their breath just smells clean, and (thank god) not at all like poultry.” (Thanks, Sue Sternberg of Moab, Utah.)

The best changes to routines

After a rough start to the year, Martha Johnson of Maryland Heights, Mo., had the idea to create a jar labeled “Good Stuff in 2022.” All year, she and her husband tucked notes inside: activities, something funny someone said, a loved one’s success. On New Year’s Eve, they plan to read them and be reminded of the wonders of the past year.

Anna Squires in Golden, Colo., gave herself “low-dopamine mornings” this year, a trend she discovered on TikTok. She doesn’t permit any “digital stimulus” until she begins work at 8. (“It means I’ve been getting to The Morning later,” she noted, “but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.” We’ll allow it.)

Rebecca Hoover, a first-grade teacher in Reading, Pa., keeps a daily haiku journal. Here’s one of her favorites, from the day she checked her students’ work with a banana-scented marker: “‘It smells like heaven!’/Who knew eternity smells/like fake bananas?”

The best thing Greg DeCamp in Kansas City, Mo., did in 2022 was to set up weekly electronic donations to a charitable organization. “If giving is most important,” he said, “then making it automatic before I can spend on anything else seemed like a good idea.”

Your best purchases

Readers’ favorites from the supermarket were as varied and alluring as I’d hoped. The best scalloped potatoes: Good and Gather cheesy scalloped potatoes with chives from Target. Best grocery store find: Aldi “red bag” frozen chicken. Best ice cream: Kirkland Signature super premium vanilla from Costco. Best condiment: Swad coriander chutney. Best rice: Nishiki.

On the coffee front, Tim Sherwood of Boca Raton, Fla., said Kirkland Signature medium-roast ground coffee in a 2.5-pound bag was best for brewing at home. Kasia Maroney in Trumansburg, N.Y., thought there was no such thing as good decaffeinated dark roast until she found the decaf dark-roast K-Cups by Peet’s Coffee.

Best seltzers: Sanzo lychee sparkling water, Kroger’s watermelon flavor, Polar pink apple & lemon. If you prefer soda, Addison Schwamb of St. Louis likes Sprecher’s Fire-Brewed Ginger Ale “because it’s spicy rather than sweet.”

The best chocolate-chip cookies that Howard Kravitz in Westford, Mass., tried this year were made by his neighbor, Lorraine. She added dried cherries to the mix.

Your favorite board games included Sequence (“Just about everyone I’ve introduced to the game has bought their own board,” Debra Felix of Wellfleet, Mass., said) and Spirit Island.