I’m trying to remember the last time I went trick-or-treating as a child. It was in Montreal, and might have been when we lived in Park Ex, which was, back then, really not a place that was safe for a young’un to be out alone late, and especially not to be traipsing around in the dark.
But hey – free candy! Sometimes pennies! Maybe even a free razor blade! Or was that just an urban myth?
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“So this is Christmas, and what have you done? Another year over. A new one just begun.” (John Lennon/Yoko Ono)
Last week a friend of mine made a statement about their partner, stressing that they were not recognizing a special occasion, but simply wanted to publicly express their gratitude that the person was always “there” for them.
I gave it some careful thought and posted that I liked the fact that the person was taking the time and making the effort to acknowledge the importance of their partner in their life. My friend, for their part, was pleased with my conclusion.
As Andy Williams famously sang, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…”. To many people, Christmas certainly is that. However, even the most devoted “Christmasophile” can find the constant assault on their senses and wallet to be somewhat debilitating. Like so much of modern life, Christmas has been transformed into a commercial crusade, seemingly endless competition for the almighty buck…your almighty buck.
This week’s column is going to be dedicated to some unsung heroes, i.e., people who deal with the public. I will be mentioning some of my “interactions” with clients and co workers and while the technical minutiae may differ from your experiences, I am sure that you will see the common thread. In any case, whether you are a cashier or front desk worker or grocery clerk, you are doing a great job during these frightening times and you have earned my admiration and respect. Actually, you’ve always had my respect, but shamefully I have been remiss in showing it. Until now, that is, as it took your steadfast behaviour in this grave situation to make me express it. Let us apply a very broad brush definition to “unit”. I am speaking in terms of a store or work section or restaurant.
“Rockin’ around the Christmas tree, at the Christmas party hop.” “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!” Oh NOes! Must be getting close to the holidays – the earworms are out in full force!
This will be the last DBAWIS column for 2019. Next time you see us, it will be a bright and shiny new 2020! Let’s hope that 2020 applies to our vision, rather than to our hindsight.
I’ve got a holiday gathering to go to this afternoon, and every year, it takes me a little longer to get ready to be serially hugged. But one of the perks of having written a weekly column for many years is that, now and again, we can reach back into those past ponderings and re-release them into the present, dusted off, re-edited, and ready to be digested anew.
For your Christmas reading, wonderment and wandering …. a few morsels from my past holiday tables … Continue reading
I do not do well during the Holidays.
I look back at the year just passed and wonder if I did well …moved forward …accomplished some of my goals, and years ago, before the practice of ageism robbed me of being able to use my skill set to create and work and earn a paycheque, I could endure the passing of yet another year, but these days, it is difficult to channel all the energy, creative juices, and desire still active inside of me, to continue to hope that the songs will finally get recorded, the book will finally get edited, the radio ideas tried, the TV show and movie brought to fruition …having taken everything as far as I can on my own, I just can’t seem to find that person or persons to open the doors I need opened.
Well then! Your fearless columnist stayed up on line all night all last week, scouring the virtual globe as it were, asking anyone and everyone he surfed across out there that timeless and timely musical question:
“WHY WOULD YOU REALLY RATHER BE LISTENING TO THE BEACH BOYS THIS DECEMBER 25th?”
Can we really be nearing the end of 2019? It seems like only yesterday that I was making excuses for not wanting to go out on New Year’s Eve! (I got a million of ’em… )
November and December have always been crazy busy months in my life; Halloween kicks off a slick slide thru November’s family birthdays, all the way to my own birthday on December 4, and then the multiple get togethers and dinners that lace the three weeks until Christmas itself.
I have two birthdays. My real one is December 27th. I have previously written about the tribulations of being born so close to not just Christmas, but also to a sibling’s birthday, plus New Year’s Eve. As I came of legal age, I found that I had a stated purpose for drinking alcohol on 3 out of 7 of those days, instead of just aimlessly drinking everyday, (which actually doesn’t sound like a bad course of action to follow either, come to think of it).
My second birthday is May 5th, and here’s why I celebrate on that date, every year. At least, I have celebrated since 2004.
Bullseye Records of Canada
Segarini: Don't Believe a Word I Say 