New York City, December 21, 2014

★★ The nadir of daylight, and a bleak daylight withal. The children were stir-crazy and full of recriminations. The three-year-old’s foot, stuck under the back of a shirt, was icy; leftovers hot from the pan swiftly grew cold again. Constant helicopter traffic went back and forth against the gray. Past the grove of Christmas trees was a patch of potted orchids, bearing up in the chill. Some people were still bareheaded. Blood oozed from the cold-split thumb.