[Ed. Note: Sometimes, I start a post and then get sidetracked--by Hadley, most often, but sometimes by the thought that the muse will visit later, that there's a better version of whatever I'm going to write if I just wait to write it. Classic writer's procrastination stuff. So this has been sitting in my "drafts" folder for a while. For it's tardiness, it's no less sincere.]

I tried to resist this urge for a few days--because it's rather clichéd--but I can't help listing a few of the less obvious things for which I am thankful. This list is not exhaustive--how could I ever list all of the blessings in my life? But this weekend, I'm feeling especially grateful for this good stuff:

--Christmas movie reruns. I love A Christmas Story ("You'll shoot your eye out!") and Miracle on 34th Street and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (both the animated and the Jim Carrey versions). But first, every year, comes Elf--which my mother thinks is the dumbest movie on the planet, but I like it. Very much. It reminds me of the Thanksgiving that Jason and I spent with our friends the Mixers in Chicago. That was the first time I saw Elf, and we had a smashing good time. So there, Mom.

--Glowy things, like our fireplace--which finally works!--and the Christmas tree, which is newly adorned in lights.

--Random acts of kindness performed by my little one. Today Hadley and I went to the grocery store, where no fewer than a dozen people stopped me because Hadley grinned at them (which I couldn't see because I was carrying her in the Bjorn). She's like a little goodwill ambassador. And we all could use a little more goodwill in our lives, especially the kind spread by a cute, round cherub of a baby.

--A husband who is a doer. Jason made most of Thanksgiving dinner, did most of the clean-up afterward and never uttered a complaint. In fact, he was his good-humored self at the end of the day. Jason is excellent at showing the people he loves that he loves them, and that's a trait I hope Hadley learns from him.

--Dancing in the kitchen. Jason will not be thrilled that I shared this with the world, but he and Hadley often waltz around our kitchen. She likes it. Sometimes we all have a little dance party in the kitchen. She likes that, too. So do I.

(Secret video footage coming soon.)

--Good wool socks. There's just no reason to have crappy wool socks. Life's too short.

--Naked babies.

--Beautiful paper.

--The fun that comes from downloading a series of photos (of Hadley) onto our computer and flipping through them.

--My Granny's handmade Christmas ornaments. We hang them on our tree every year, and I love that each is a one-of-a-kind original that one day, I will pass on to my kids.

--Graham crackers covered in Nutella and dipped in a large glass of very cold skim milk.

--The way Hadley stretches out her arms for me. Every time it happens, my breath gets a little shallow. If I think about it for too long--her reaching for me, this baby who I've reached for a million times already--I get choked up.

--And the glorious, glorious fact that this list could go on for a long while.