A Bright New Year

Here we are beginning a bright new year. But we cannot put aside Christmas so quickly. Technically Christmas is not over until January 6th. In modern days people have gotten away from the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas and relegated them to just part of the song with the drumming drummers.

So since I am a huge fan of Christmas, I always leave up the lights, yard ornaments, and the Christmas tree until the 6th. Sometimes until my birthday which is another two weeks later. It was a huge shock when I met my friends for lunch a few days ago and came home to an empty yard. My son had, in an attempt to help, taken down all the yard decorations and put them back in the attic.

I was hugely disappointed. I had to give a lesson on Christmas and Epiphany and Three Wise Men and then let it go. Because, after all, he was trying to help and still had the head injury. Knocked the Twelve Days of Christmas right out of his frontal lobe.

And being the New Year, ripe with possibilities, I felt the need to not dwell on the old. So many new outlooks and attitudes to start afresh. Some of the things that immediately come to mind are pretty typical of all of us. I guess some are unique just to a few.

For the new year I will not eat all the junk that I have been eating for the last few weeks. And I will start this New Year practice as soon as I’ve polished off all the leftover cakes and pies that are still hanging around. I also will make an effort to exercise every day and get fit and svelte as Angelina Jolie. I will start this as soon as the weather warms up and doesn’t make my ears hurt when I go outside.

Also to not force my family to listen to Christmas music anymore until at least next Thanksgiving. Even though I really love Christmas music and would play it year round if they didn’t tear at their hair due to the mental trauma from hearing nothing but Bing Crosby for hours and hours at a time. For a new year, I can manage something as simple as that.

For the new year I will be kinder and gentler when people ask me for things. Like maybe if they ask me for the recipe to my Amaisin’ Raisin Cake I will give it to them. I will give them more of the correct ingredients than I have in previous years. Maybe leave out the pork rinds.

I also will not gossip about my friends or acquaintances. Unless I happen to learn a really juicy item that I can’t stop my friends from telling me. Or if it is so juicy that I have to call 5 friends in 3 states to let them know. Everything else, I firmly resolve to keep my lips zipped.

I promise not to be too tough on my parents. Except for that part where my mom needs to be told repeatedly that she has stuff in her pantry from the last ice age and it puts dinner guests in danger. One cannot keep silent at the cost of endangering dinner guests. And with global warming, she really needs to prepare for the new ice age. That’s part of the new year. Out with the old, in with the new.

And I resolve to be kinder to my husband. Especially when I’m getting really steamed because he tells me I have stuff in MY pantry from the last ice age. I resolve to tell him with goodness and kindness that it is all in the DNA and if it wasn’t for hunter-gatherers like myself and my ancestors, our species would have disappeared from the planet. Thank goodness for great DNA.

And finally I resolve to treat my children with more patience and kindness and understand that they are young and mistake prone. Like the mistake of taking down yard decorations ten days early. And that I won’t fail in this last resolution too many more times between now and February first as to how painful it is to look out the window and no longer see the Abominable Snowman waving at me amongst many colored lights. I think I will have to console myself with listening to Christmas music for just a few months longer.