I only remember a few holidays: Christmas, Independence Day, Cinco de Mayo, and New Year's Day. It's because they fall on the same date each year. Holidays that are pegged to a lunar calendar, a non-Gregorian calendar, or on the xth day of whatever month just sneak up on me. So a belated Happy Divali, Happy Chanukah, Happy Kwanzaa, and Eid Mubarak to you - or a be-earlied one. As I wrote, I don't know when those arrive.
This year's winter break may be a little different because I'm getting ready for surgery. And by "getting ready," I mean that I have some pre-op appointments, so I can't just sit on the couch and watch football (either kind). The folks at the hospital want me to have some pretty standard tests done including blood typing. I could have told them over the phone that I'm AB+,but they still need to stick me as part of their standard operating procedures. AB+, as you recall from middle school biology, is the 2nd most rare blood type (AB- is the rarest), but folks like me can receive transfusions from all blood types. Of course, I hope I don't need a transfusion, but this is a good opportunity to remind people that they can help be heroes by donating blood and registering to be bone marrow or organ donors (see links on right).
Getting back to the title. Despite my lack of belief, we do "celebrate" Christmas - but in the commercial sense. Hey, we're doing it for the economy. It gets a bit busier than usual this time of year, though. In addition to the Xmas, both our sons' birthdays are in December. So we're doing more than our share to keep Toys-R-Us and Target in business. We don't start Xmas shopping until December 23, because we're just finishing birthday shopping. You ask, "Why not do both at once?" Well, procrastination just doesn't work that way.
The day after Christmas also has a very special meaning in our house. It's the day when all the presents have been open for 24 hours and the two most traditional phrases are "I'm bored" and "Daddy, fix this."
The entire I-270 family wishes you a joyful holiday, however you celebrate it.
This year's winter break may be a little different because I'm getting ready for surgery. And by "getting ready," I mean that I have some pre-op appointments, so I can't just sit on the couch and watch football (either kind). The folks at the hospital want me to have some pretty standard tests done including blood typing. I could have told them over the phone that I'm AB+,but they still need to stick me as part of their standard operating procedures. AB+, as you recall from middle school biology, is the 2nd most rare blood type (AB- is the rarest), but folks like me can receive transfusions from all blood types. Of course, I hope I don't need a transfusion, but this is a good opportunity to remind people that they can help be heroes by donating blood and registering to be bone marrow or organ donors (see links on right).
Getting back to the title. Despite my lack of belief, we do "celebrate" Christmas - but in the commercial sense. Hey, we're doing it for the economy. It gets a bit busier than usual this time of year, though. In addition to the Xmas, both our sons' birthdays are in December. So we're doing more than our share to keep Toys-R-Us and Target in business. We don't start Xmas shopping until December 23, because we're just finishing birthday shopping. You ask, "Why not do both at once?" Well, procrastination just doesn't work that way.
The day after Christmas also has a very special meaning in our house. It's the day when all the presents have been open for 24 hours and the two most traditional phrases are "I'm bored" and "Daddy, fix this."
The entire I-270 family wishes you a joyful holiday, however you celebrate it.
Thanks for the comment on my blog (Doug Vs. Frank). Yes, I'm a Nole, but I still wish you and your family the best of luck.
ReplyDeleteI hope things at the hospital go smoothly. Remember to walk early and often.
Take care, you can beat this,
Doig