Updates for Thursday, December 25th [2003]

Dear Friends,

This very day, to others the day of greatest mirth and jollity, sees me overwhelmed with more and greater misfortunes than have befallen a descendant of Adam for these thousand years past, I am sure; and perhaps, after excepting Job, since the creation of the world. I think his misfortunes were somewhat greater than mine: for although we may be pretty nearly on a level in other respects, yet, I thank my God, I have the advantage of brother Job in this, that Satan has not as yet put forth his hand to load me with bodily afflictions. I do indeed miss many things from home in my land that seems now to be so far away, from Monticello, it's beauty and grace, the things so great about life there with family and friends. My grandson Francis jollytating around bawling out "merry christmas", my daughter Martha arranging the occassions of festivity, even the very silence of the plantation for our holiday reprieve. This morning I had saved enough from my payday Monday to purchase the food to make myself one really rather nice tasting mince pie, and I sat and reminisced about the things I miss. Indeed I am fortunate to be living, and it can only be by God that I am here, observing what I am for a reason.

Daniel already had given me a present, he said he would allow me to keep much more of my pay this last Monday than usual, he says, because I should purchase my friends a gift. He then asked what I would be getting him, and I offered that I knew not what was customary, so it was that Monday we went shopping at a downtown Mall, for gifts. It was upon his utter insistance that I purchase "Final Fantasy X2" for him, a supposed "video game" which I hear is much like "Charlie's Angels crossed with Japanese booty" (his words). My initial impression was that it was somewhat tastelessly glamorized, regardless, he said it made a fine enough gift. This left me little to spend freely, but I did manage to buy for Natalie a book, new to print, fashionably labelled "The Time Traveller's Wife". I have yet to explain to her that I am a traveller of time myself, but I felt maybe from the cover and backing of this novel that she might understand easiest after reading this, should I decide to tell her some-day.

I did get a gift for Ms. Everson, something she had remarked on our last outing to be interested in, a scented candle in a small cradle white like ivory from one of the shops of the mall. She said she loved the scents and aromas, especially before a nice bath. It was this Christmas Eve, the last night, that I met up with Ms. Everson to exchange gifts and share dinner, who had granted me the whole evening off, to spend the occassion with her at her place. It was for whatever reason dimly lit, and we had a fine dinner under candelight. She aparently had been drinking some wine and being lost out of favor with her ex-boyfriend, she needed someone to encourage her through the Christmas eve. Upon hearing her need for cheeriness, I sung at the table Adeste Fideles to make the mood more festive, but she stopped me before I could even utter "born the King of angels". We traded gifts, she appreciated mine and decided that a bath is what she needed, to enjoy the scents of the candle's aroma as she is customary to do. Her gift to me was a strange book called "The Kama Sutra". I was confused by what this meant, but as she went to her bath she said I should read some of it. I quickly closed the cover once I realized the nudity of the illustrations was so terribly obvious. These are no ancient teachings I had ever heard of, nor were they very contemporary, rather, I very well hoped they were not. It wasn't since my visit to the Jefferson Theater that I managed to see such outright idolatry of sex.

She arrived from the bathroom wrapped in little but a towel, and sat down next to me, and, I must admit, I felt somewhat uncomfortable. Once she put her arms around me and leaned up against me I felt so much so that I found the need to make an excuse to leave to home. I hated to have to leave her, as she said she was lonely and in need of a "real man", but I felt as though I was betraying my instincts by staying. She attempted to stop me, and when she got up to do so, she seemed to accidentally drop her towel to her feet. Shocked, I covered my eyes and stared at the ground, and apologized while running out the door as not to offend her womanly sensibilities by staring at her nude, uncovered body. Thankfully my house was not more than a mile or two down the road from hers.

It was on this walk home that I saw many lights and festive displays. I stopped briefly for what I recognized was a display of the nativity. It was in times such as these that I wonder if Jesus or God himself were around, if Jesus himself would even recognize the seperation of his dogma from his ethics, his church from his state, or rather if those who govern today discourage such tradition by surrounding themselves in the dogma and ethics as if they were the teachings and the Word themselves. From what I have seen and learned this may be one thing I can not know for certain. It was not even in the wisdom of Socrates that we could find for sure whether this world made sense of things or if things were without sense anymore. Surely for someone who has travelled the time of 200 years, sense is surely without it's sensibilities.

Regardless, merry christmas from your friend and servant,

- TH. Jefferson

P.S. Natalie arrives back January 1rst. We have made occassion to meet for the 2nd, to which I look forward to greatly. I miss my friend very deeply, and anticipate her return.