Holiday in Review
Well, I don’t know about you, but I’ve certainly had less eventful New Years. . . New Years’ (plural possessive?). Whatever. Proceeding in retroactive recollection mode, my New Year’s Eve consisted of a surprise birthday party in Mount Vernon, then Wii and hummus (and pool) in Stanwood where we watched the ball drop while standing two feet away from a TV screen the size of my car. Alcohol was abundant, so playing Raving Rabbids 2 on the Wii looked less like 4 adults having a good time and more like the Special Olympics. Come to think of it, I believe that’s what it would have looked like even without alcohol present. Regardless, my arm was sore for a week because of trying to saw my way through some damn virtual tree branch.
Christmas was great too. It was my first in-law Christmas, and I admit feeling a little anxious just because I’ve heard horror stories about accidentally wrecking Christmas morning by failing to observe the local customs. For example, my brother was in the wrong room on Christmas morning at his in-law’s, and he almost spent the rest of the day strung up next to the inflatable reindeer. I was able to avoid any such mishaps, and had a wonderful holiday with my wife and her mom. In fact, she’s still finding Nerf darts left over from the festivities.
Prior to the actual Eve and Day themselves, I had an early Christmas with my own family. I’ll admit that it was odd to be opening gifts early, but the child in me could only be mystified for so long before the joy of present-opening became the driving force. And I can safely say that nothing gets you in holiday spirit like homemade fudge and sugar cookies.
Alas, now all of the holiday cheer is gone, and people are starting to show it. Anyone seeking to build up their Tolerance skill only need come into “downtown” Redmond during the morning or evening commute hours. You will never find a deeper cesspool of sheer malevolent selfishness and inconsideration. And God forbid you don’t block traffic to enable some pigeon-molester’s jaywalking fetish.
Okay, enough with the Hate Shotgun. I’m fine with people.