Christmas Eve Before Dawn 2024

Hello, dear Reader! Welcome (back?) to this obscure American blog on Christmas Eve of 2024 in the wee hours before Dawn in the Mountain Standard Time zone. 🎄🎉😎 I'm already bathed, dressed, made-up for the day but can't manage to grab a decent looking picture of it so far (which, at my age, I try to do frequently because who knows when it'll end) 😂 

Freedom Turtle 🐢 has had his first bath of the day so far; he actually woke up around the same time that I did, so soon after I grabbed a cup of coffee, he was in a clean, warm bath where he spent a good twenty or thirty minutes before asking me to take him out (which he does by standing tall like a proud-turtle and walking towards me - it's the cutest thing I've ever seen, in fact). 💖 Sweet, fat little turtle 😍 - he IS the cutest little creature ever (like all of the rest of the creatures, that is). Now, though, he's been dried off and feasted on some morning banana before tucking back in bed with his Daddy. Banana and earthworms seem to be his very favorite foods (though he's fond of shrimp, crickets, and he adores those huge white grubs we had outdoors here a couple of seasons ago). I wish that he'd take more of an interest in the live food that we ordered him earlier this month; oh, well: at least we do have things on hand that we know he'll eat, so it's all good.

This has been one heck of a year for everyone to say the least, am I right? I mean, just here in the United States alone it's been one insane event after another, especially since 2024 was a federal-elections year. In fact, I don't know about you, but I'm steadily still breathing sighs of relief that started late on the night of November 5th. 
And don't even get me started on global events - there's just too much to recap (not to mention that it'd be emotionally overwhelming). But suffice it to say, I'm ready for more peaceful, secure times and feel like maybe you all might even feel the same way about this. Let there be peace on earth, good-will toward men (and by 'men' here I mean 'humans' - you know: the old-school way). 
I rarely listen to holiday music, but reverently pull some of them out, today and tomorrow only until next year (God willing). Here's an all-time favorite; I had the very good fortune of seeing Larnelle Harris (the artist here) perform this live in Dallas to a packed house, many years ago.
Please be blessed and enjoy:

And, I sadly did not have the opportunity to hear this incredibly talented musical genius while he lived; nonetheless, this one has been a favorite since I was old enough to speak:

💖