I’m in what I’ve come to think of as my Christmas position. Unlike the warrior pose or downward dog, this position requires very little of the joints and tendons. It is, in fact, a posture of repose, of satiation. 

All that’s required is that I plop down on the couch, facing north, a pile of  books beside me and (sometimes, like now) a laptop in my lap, and savor the Christmas tree, which is, as always, the most beautiful one we’ve ever had, the fullest and most aromatic. 

I’m not usually able to still and just be, but this time of year, when I’m in the Christmas position, that’s all I want to do.