Eleven of us sitting around at Amy's parents' house last night, watching Casper, the deaf, half-blind pure-white cat of theirs chase the ball and admire his reflection and fall asleep on the lap of whomever sat on the end of the couch next to the fireplace. It was a comforting Christmas scene, to have us all there together from our various points around America - Seattle, New Orleans, Philadelphia, North Jersey, Washington, Brooklyn (soon to be Maine). I left and drove home last night with the full feeling of Christmas, and felt it today, even as I drove to work after an afternoon at the movies and the mall. Well, the mall only because the movies were at the mall. All this after I worried that I'd feel lost without Casey here, without her within an hour's drive somewhere in New Jersey. But, of course, I'm happy that she's home for Christmas, and happy that she returns on Thursday and I have the night off to spend with her. And I'm happy that, by using up some vacation time left over, I do not work consecutive days until January 9-10. For the next two weeks, I work three of seven days, with Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays off. Woo!

It was comforting to get a call from Casey last night as we sat around Amy's den and everyone asked about her and hoped to see her. It was nice thinking about this time next year when we'll likely travel together for the holidays. It was nice thinking I can see her day after day and not get tired of it, and that I can watch her leave for a week and not feel lost without her.

Today Jaime and Dave, Lisa, Will, my sister and I braved the mall for a 1:40 p.m. showing of The Majestic, our choice from a limited selection since the posters for The Royal Tenenbaums lie when they advertise the movie as opening December 14. It's still not out yet, other than New York and L.A. and "select theaters." But there was no disappointment. Jim Carrey gave an impressive performance, and this movie gave no misleading airs of being a comedy. It was a drama all the way and had me interested throughout, wondering how the whole thing would be resolved. Without giving too much away, I'll say that it came out at a good time, a patriotic holiday film that brings up again what it means to be an American. Looking back on the previews I'd seen, the trailer for The Majestic did what a preview is supposed to do: It inspired curiosity without giving away details. Going in, we knew Carrey played a lost war hero who loses his memory and washes up in his old hometown. But we don't know how he gets his memory back, how he realizes once again who he really is, how it all turns out.

I won't say it's the best movie ever, I won't say it's the best movie of the year. It wasn't spectacularly impressive or massively underwhelming. It did its job, transporting an audience out of a post-September 11 America and into another time and place for two and a half hours.