Welcome to the 2022 Homestretch

Is anyone else slightly confused by the sudden appearance of holiday decorations and music? Why is it so dark in the early evening? Weren’t we just enjoying warm weather and sun?

Me at midnight on New Years Eve

Okay, that last question may be climate change since the temperature in my area keeps fluctuating between mid 70s and low 50s (low 20s to about 10C). And don’t even get me started on the sudden changes in humidity. My poor body is so confused.

However, I will admit that the next few weeks will go by fast.

Much faster than any of us probably want them to.

2022 is almost over. We have less than two months to squeeze the last bit of our resolutions out of it. The year of the tiger will soon morph into a cute fluffy rabbit. We’ll be another year older and hopefully wiser. My free time is booking up fast.

I enjoy the last few months of the year. Some of the best tasting food is made between September (apple cider donuts), October (pumpkin spice and everything nice), November (anyone want more stuffing?), and December (I really shouldn’t have another cookie, but I know I totally will). I love fall and winter spice blends and scents. There’s usually a fire going in my fireplace in cool autumn nights and snowy winter days. Tea and hot chocolate keep me warm. My cat is cuddlier than usual.

The last few months of the year are decorated with twinkling lights and spooky images. Families (blood and found) come together to celebrate each other. Friends get together in ugly sweaters, while coworkers learn who can and can’t handle their drinks.

It all goes by in a blink.

I mean we’re technically already half way through the Holidays (depending on when you start). And I do mean Holidays - plural - because there are a lot. Starting in September, there’s Rosh Hashanah and the equinox. October started with Yom Kippur, followed by Diwali, and wrapped up with Halloween. In November we observe Veterans Day and Thanksgiving (at least in the States - Canada’s is in October) - shame Election Day doesn’t quite count. Finally, there’s all the events in December such as Hanukkah, Yule/the Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanza, New Years Eve, and Festivus for the rest of us (as long as that’s the only thing to come from Seinfeld).

Parties are planned from September to January. Many people take off work and travel (if they have the privilege and financial means to). There’s a reason the famous song “There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays” mentions the traffic (seriously never ever travel the day before Thanksgiving).

If you don’t hear from me much the next two months, it’s because time has no meaning until January.

Have a happy and safe holiday season. Despite the crazy black hole time suck that blind sides us this time of year, I hope you and I can take a moment to slow down and appreciate the good food, fun company, and pretty decorations.

Until the next post.

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off), please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y’all like hearing from me.

Welcome To The Holidays

They might just kill you...

So Thanksgiving has passed. I spent it with the family. We had a ton of food and I watched the parade. I always watch it with my Snoopy doll (we also watch the Charlie Brown special together). It was exciting to see the Lions beat Green Bay (first time in nine years). I guess you could say that Thanksgiving is the start of the holiday season, but then you have to remember all the holiday stuff that was out in retail in October. 

Black Friday wasn't that interesting. I remember when the stores opened at 4am and the rush to get in. Now there's hardly any point. Sure sales are there and I'll shop, but now it's just ridiculous that stores want to start Black Friday on Thursday. For one thing Friday is in the name. It also really cuts into family time, unless your idea of family time is seeing how many other Black Friday shoppers you can take out as a unit (ten points for taking out grandma). 

However, despite my distaste for the Black Friday hype, I realized how many people work on the sacred day of feasting on Turkey. I had to drop my significant other off at the train station on Thanksgiving and as soon as he jumped out of my car five minutes before departure, I realized that there were people running the transportation system to make sure everyone got home to stuff themselves silly. I thought to myself, is this a free ride home for them or are they working because they have to ( or have nothing better to do)? Several super markets were also open until the mid-afternoon. Was this also necessary. Couldn't people have remembered everything they needed the day before? Heck, my sister ran to one store twice before the dinner was in the oven.

Let also not forget about the people who work at the football games. It's freezing and they could be hearing a nice hot dinner by a crackling fire and they're out there making TV magic for the football fans. 

I am starting to think that it is a little hypocritical that people complain about workers not getting time off from major retailers for Black Friday, yet it is okay for people to catch a plain or train and watch a football game on an"American Holiday set aside for family." I think we also forget about the troops who can't be home or the news reporters letting us know what is happening in the world (or just how to cook a turkey). They also have to work on this holiday. I am not saying it is right what stores are doing, but all the hype on both sides (shoppers and angry ranters) sensationalizes the problem of greed in our country. 

I found it shocking to realize that there are a lot of people who work on Thanksgiving. It made me thankful to have a job that allowed me the time off to celebrate an odd American tradition that others find strange (I spent Thanksgiving in the UK once and they thought it was a celebration like the forth of July for us). In fact I'm thankful to have a job and a home to call my own. I am thankful to have friends and a wonderful significant other. Heck most of the time I'm thankful to just be alive and thinking and totally free to do as I please. 

I hope other people are thankful too. No matter what the future holds I am thankful for today and the day before. Now to see what the future holds.

If you enjoyed this post (or if it really pissed you off) please comment and share (either on the blog or on Facebook). Maybe I can make someone smile for a moment to two.