Random Post-Christmas Thoughts

* Despite the fact that Christmas carols abruptly cease at midnight, December 25 is only the first day of Christmas. Christmas ends twelve days later, when the arrival of the Magi bearing gifts is celebrated early in January. Nobody in America gets that. In fact, people in many European countries exchange gifts on the Feast of the Epiphany.

* Companies shutting down over Christmastime remind me that ‘tis the season to be lazy. I estimate that I lived in my pajamas for approximately 70% of the ten days I was off work. It felt terrific. It’s too bad that retirement is no longer an option—at least, not while I’m mobile. As I’ve often told my kids, someday I’ll be steering my walker down the halls of business on my way to the printer (or maybe the nurse’s office).

* No matter how many goodies I get for Christmas—and I got plenty—nothing can outshine holiday time spent with family and friends. I got plenty of that, too, fortunately. That’s one good thing I can’t ever have too much of.

* I’ll be rolling my biological odometer over to the next zero later this month. For the first time in my life, I actually feel one year older. In fact, I feel an entire decade older. But there is a bright side: I’m definitely too old to die young.