The Holiday Run

And so, the holidays have begun. The most wonderful time of the year. The most emotional time of the year. Many older relatives and friends seem to fade during the next month, and those we have lost at other times of the year make their memories sadly visible to our tenderized souls. But that is not the only reason for emotions to bud, sending long tendrils that root in our hearts. Thanksgiving in the USA starts us off with a week of exhausting preparation. Then, on Turkey Day, it begins. Family, Friends, Food – too much Food – Football, and Full bellies that last until Friday when the Frantic shoppers begin their Frenzied shopping for those Frequently promised deals that the stores seem to run out of in the First Five minutes, causing shoppers to Flip-out, even more than they did having to spend the previous day with Freaky Uncle Fred who always Frets because his special beer has lost its Foam.

For my sister-in-law, Joannie, I suppose the hard holidays start on Halloween. That day also happens to be her birthday. I know it is hard to share your birthday with a holiday. Mine is within the Thanksgiving week. Every eleven years, my birthday is on T-Day. I suppose that makes me a turkey baby. As an adult, I can celebrate on any day I choose, but as a child it was not so much fun. I was dragged out of bed, before the crack of dawn, so we could make the 2-hour, scary ground-fog drive to grandma’s house and do the above stuff. Fortunately, I did not have a Freaky Uncle Fred. I had a great and loving family. Also, I only had to endure T-Day birthdays twice during my childhood. That’s not enough to require counseling. I feel for those who share their day with Christmas but I’m not going to discuss that because I am way too empathic and will, indeed, eventually require counseling. My step-daughter has her birthday on New Year’s Eve. Now, that is way cool, don’t you think?

So, now it is Saturday after Black Friday after T-Day. That means the overflow of Christmas decorations. These decorations rival the amount of food on the T-Day table, except that the Christmas glitz is here with us all the way through Christmas. Holiday music, holiday lights, holiday chotchkies, holiday ‘sales’ (yeah, right), fattening holiday cookies, and, did I mention holiday music? “Jingle Bell Rock” is forever cemented in my brain. Some people probably hear, “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” and secretly wish it had been Freaky Uncle Fred.

Everyone, you just need to hold on. Enjoy the colorful, blinking lights, and relax and watch a Christmas movie: “Miracle on 34th Street” or “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “Die Hard.” Add 100 more steps to your daily step-counter. You know, the gadget you got last Christmas and have only recently gotten serious about? Hey, we can do this together. We survived all of our past holidays and we can survive another one.

I always try to remember to give thanks during Thanksgiving. That works for about five minutes before the smell of good food blankets over the rest of my senses. At least, the whole month before Christmas allows me time to remember that this special holiday is meant for celebrating the baby Jesus. I guess those born on Christmas Day could be happy they are in such good company. It is just so hard to blow out pumpkin pie birthday candles to the song, “All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth.” I think I’m slipping into that empathy faze again. Where did I put that counselor’s number…?