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| Preparing for Colder Weather |
I heard an owl sounding off last night
behind our house. I’m fairly certain it wasn’t calling my name. He was hooting
up a storm though and I could actually hear him down in the solitude of the Man
Cave. Buddy was confused about the weird sound and predictably scared (he’s
such a pendejo). Since we’re both
about to get pulled into the wonderful vortex of Christmas and family, the
neighborhood mafiosos kidnapped my wife and I so we could have dinner together.
We tried out a new pub just down the street called Quinn’s and chanced upon a
winner. It has one of those huge circular bars and a tasty menu of pub food. The
best part was hanging out with good friends. I’ll definitely be back.
Today officially kicks of my Christmas
celebration when I brave the holiday traffic into Boston to pick up a certain
beloved trio from California. To say I’m a little excited about that task would
be a vast understatement. I’ve already checked their flight status four times
and the plane doesn’t take off for a couple hours yet. The trip in and all
subsequent trips this weekend pale in comparison to some of the holidays driving
I did when I was still in the Army and my salmon like need to return home for the
holidays. The words below are the same ones I post each year around this time.
I am an unabashed and unrepentant
lover of Christmas time, in all of its glorious corniness. I love Christmas carols, Christmas parties,
but most of all Christmas Day. I can remember Christmas as far back as the age
of 3. I still remember one special year
in my early teens when I was overcome with Christmas spirit, feeling so good
about the season and just general happiness that I wondered at myself. This
feeling lasted until well after Christmas and no, to all you cynics out there,
the feelings were not chemically assisted.
Every year since then has been an attempt to recapture that feeling. Most
years I get it in bits and pieces, mostly associated with time I spend with my
family and friends. I served 27 years in the Army and made it home every year
for Christmas except for three years.
My wife and “kids” smile behind me,
good naturedly, because they know how important Christmas is to me. I know
there are those raging elements or hipsters out there that bemoan what modern
Christmas has evolved to. Some say it overly commercialized or others not
properly religious. It seems there are always those elements in society – “Grinchs”
for lack of a better term. These seem to be people so unhappy with their own
lives that they target times or traditions that bring happiness to others for
scorn.
I could not care less about these
self-important gas bags. There is
nothing in life more enjoyable than being around people you love and actually
taking some time out of the all too busy lives we all lead to simply be
together. So to all of you out there that bad mouth Christmas – get a life; the
rest of us already have one and we’re going to have the merriest Christmas of
all in spite of you or more correctly in homage to the love we are blessed with
of each other. Merry Christmas!
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