Merry Christmas!

I hope by the time you're reading this you've enjoyed some good coffee and great gifts, both given and received. It's a little early around here to start opening presents – we're just two adults, one of whom likes to sleep late – so I still don't know what's in those beautiful packages under our girly-girl tree.

Thanks for all your thoughts yesterday about kids playing outdoors. I understand the issue; what I don't understand is how our society has come to this. Is it, as Greta suggested, that we are victims of the media covering every incident? Are we less safe now than when I was growing up in the '50s and '60s?

How could this happen?

And I'm not even talking about childhood obesity any more.

Mr. Shrinking Knitter and I have been living behind locked doors for the past couple of weeks. Someone – and we think he/they may have been caught – has been randomly and brazenly burglarizing homes in broad daylight all over our county. Three homes on our road were recently targeted, and we've heard of many, many more. Sometimes the homes have been occupied, sometimes empty.

I used to leave the house and garage unlocked when I took my morning walk – no longer! We now deadbolt the garage and arm the security system whenever we leave the house. So, Mr. Burglar, if you're reading the Shrinking Knitter you can just move on down the road.

Or, better yet, go play video games. You probably have a stolen PlayStation in your loot.

How's that for a warm-fuzzy-holiday post? Heh.

Seriously, have a great day and eat some pecan pie for me. I'm still sugar-free! Probably the best gift I've given myself in years.