With only three days remaining until Christmas, I am happy to say that the Christmas cards have been sent, the laundry is done, and any Christmas shopping I was planning to do has been completed. So what’s a person to do when all the stress-inducing tasks leading up to the holidays have been taken care of already? Doing absolutely nothing sounds like a good response.

In reality, it’s hard to do absolutely nothing. This is something with which I’ve had little experience in recent years. If there’s nothing else to do, I either read, write, walk, or sleep, but all of these activities constitute “doing something.” 

In this pre-Christmas season 2025, I’ve embraced a new practice, which is the closest I’ve come to doing nothing. I’ll make myself a cup of hot green or pumpkin spice tea, sit in a comfortable chair in the living room, and watch Christmas Cottage on YouTube. The idyllic scene depicts a cozy living room with a warm fireplace, a few pieces of furniture, a lighted Christmas tree, a few gifts under the tree, some other Christmas decorations, and a stunning view of the snow falling outside the large glass windows. It is accompanied by a pleasant selection of Christmas music. I can sit there gazing attentively at the peaceful scene for lengthy periods of time. Technically, I guess this is “doing something,” too, but it certainly doesn’t feel like it.

Kathy’s brother, John, who lives with his wife Linda in Eureka, California, offers another option for those who have too much time on their hands this Christmas. John and Linda will be attending the 2025 Ferndale Tractor Parade. Ferndale is a small community just south of Eureka. It is best known for its incredibly well-preserved and meticulously maintained 19th-century Victorian homes and storefronts, a historic Main Street, and its small-town charm. I’m sure the simple celebration of the tractor parade will bring a smile to your face. Just click the link to watch it. 

“To do nothing at all is the most difficult thing in the world, the most difficult and the most intellectual.” ~ Oscar Wilde