Random Thoughts-29
January 7th, 2008

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone is completely recovered from the Happy Holiday Season and ready to get back to "Normal". Of course, you know what "Normal" is? For a lot of us, it's only about one-and-a-half notches down from full blown Christmas warp speed! So don't be too eager for a real slow-down in January.
We prepare and prepare, and cook and clean, and shop and party, then clean some more, then cook some more, then shop some more and go to a couple more parties and whine that the season went by sooooo fast! And, you know what? It does!
I bet it even goes fast for all those weird folks that have everything bought and ready by the end of Agribition! You know the ones. They're whistling Christmas carols on November 1st and have their greeting cards in the mail the day after Remembrance Day and everything. Well, good for them.
To me, it just takes some of the excitement away, from the occasion, if you're not feverishly running around the last few days before Christmas and you actually listen for how many shopping days are left! But then again, I am a natural born procastinator. I don't even have to work at it!
Our family tries to buy as many local products as possible for the season. Once upon a time, I was a local business owner, too, and I know full-well the importance of supporting our local merchants. That said, there are always items that require the requisite trip, or trips, to a larger centre to endure the Mall Madness and the Wal-Mart Wars.
Nothing says "Christmas" like looking for a spot in the Food Court or rubbing elbows with a few hundred other people trying to find that last DVD or listening to the children cry as, once again, they're told to "WAIT 'TIL CHRISTMAS!". Ah, 'Tis the Season!
I am not exactly sure why, but we were unable to go on our annual trip until the 22nd of December. Yes, the 22nd of December! I still can't remember why we put it off. Hmmm?
Anyway, it was nuts! But, this time, it was a good nuts, if you know what I mean? People weren't angry, clerks were very helpful and we even found a spot in the Food Court! Maybe there is something to be said about glad tidings and all.
Shortly before Christmas, I had a conversation with a colleague about his plans for the holidays and I asked him if he was prepared. He stated that the best thing about Christmas was January 2nd! Whoa! Talk about Bah-Humbug! I'll admit that the season doesn't have the same magic as it did when I was 10 years-old, or even when our children were 10 years-old, but still, it's not that bad, is it?
To him and his ilk I pose this question. If you were to repeat one day over and over again, as in the movie "Groundhog Day", and you had the choice between the 25th of December or January 2nd, which day would you chose? Thought so!
"Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right,"-Oprah Windrey (1954-).