“I’ll have a blue Christmas without you ...”

Four years ago, I was dreaming of a white Christmas, remember?

Well, this year is going to be different, and for the second year in a row, I know who to blame. Somebody cut a deal with their girls and kept me in the dark, and so the little schemers are going to start the party on the other side of planet Earth without me.

It's about a twenty-three hour flight out of Dulles on Korean Air, which includes a four-hour layover at Seoul Inchon International Airport (direct from DC, no kidding), before catching another flight to Ninoy Aquino Manila International Airport, where our jet-setting gal pal just landed a little while ago. She'll return to the land of the free on the 29th.

Here she is reunited again with her adorable grandson, Luic (the Philippine variant of the Spanish Luis, Louis in English; duh). Last year, Sal simply had to be there for Christmas because he was just born. Now she simply has to be there for Christmas because he just turned one. Look at the little runt. How can I compete with that?

Yo, Elvis, tell 'em how I feel today.