I probably shouldn’t be so angry, should I? I don’t know, what do you think? Well, it’s not like I don’t have a right to be angry, but being angry all the time is just so exhausting, isn’t it? And it’s not like being angry is going to make it better, because it isn’t, but I just feel I ought to be angry about something, and being ill certainly qualifies, doesn’t it? And this is no ordinary run of the mill sickness we are dealing with here okay; I have a man-cold / flu going down and it is punishing me something fierce. Everyone is well aware that the man-cold / flu is something like 10 times worse than what hits you ladies (it’s scientific, because I would never make shit like this up) but hey, I’m good thanks, no need for the sending of soups and such, I’ll get through this like I always do. We men are fucking troupers, aren’t we?
Yes we are, and we need to be too because life is often quite traumatic at this, the start of the new year. The Holiday Season is finished, the bits and baubles are again stored away for another year and the tree itself has been jammed back inside the box it came in and almost kinda sorta fits. The outdoor lights however are still in place. I’ll get to them, I will, but I’m not quite ready yet, because when those lights come down, XMAS is DONE, and I don’t want it to be DONE. A part of me even wishes I could go back and do it all again, which sounds totally insane I know but ‘The Season’ could have been and really should have been, better. It wasn’t though, mainly because nobody meaning me, put forth the effort.
So why didn’t I? Ummm…. Well probably because it’s such a pain in the ass. Back when we were kids XMAS was just so damn magical, but that magic slowly fades until there comes a time in your mid to late 20’s when the realization hits that Santa’s actually dead and maybe Mr. Grinch was on to something. Kind of goes downhill from there too, doesn’t it? Not for me though, oh no, I fully expect XMAS every year to be gatherings amongst friends with drinks and appies, kids concerts where the youngster in the back sings gloriously off-tune, hot chocolate by a fire after skiing all day, and of course a Hair Metal Shit Show formal XMAS / Holiday Ball where everyone who attends behaves atrociously and nobody cares. Okay, so when has all that ever happened at any one XMAS? How about NEVER, but every year I still expect it and as each January arrives, I sit back and wonder why the fuck it didn’t happen.
It didn’t happen because I’m antisocial (gatherings mean leaving the house and being ugh… pleasant), I have not attended a kid’s concert since 1979 (that year I watched from the crowd as my own classmates performed in the annual Christmas Concert; I was banned from actually performing with them for some sort of egregious act, but I can’t actually remember what it was), and El Nino has so far ruined skiing this year. The Hair Metal Shit Show XMAS / Holiday Ball ? Yeah, see antisocial above. In the end another Holiday Season came and went, no better and no worse than any other.
You know what? That’s selfish and it’s not okay; I should have made this XMAS the greatest spectacle those closest to me have ever experienced, but I didn’t. Now to be fair, I have no freaking idea how I would have pulled this off, but XMAS should be a bit more than stringing up lights on the porch 6 weeks before Santa’s circumnavigation and flipping up a tree with Philadelphia Flyers balls on it (yeah I know, don’t say it). So, we’re going to make it better.
But how? Well, it all starts with a word, just one word – YES! That’s my word for 2024 – YES! Now, depending on who I have been talking to, my Word Of The Year changes, so don’t go off pissing your pants if YES isn’t the word I told you. I’m Gen X Man, we have issues with rules okay? You are only supposed to have one word that encapsulates something you wish to do more of, improve upon, etc, etc. and then when you are presented with an opportunity to act based on your chosen word, you are to remember that word and move forth accordingly. It’s your word, make it an integral part of your life. I have like 3 or 4 words but hey, I have lots of shit to work on and like I said, I don’t like rules, so for the sake of this article, we are going with YES as our Word Of The Year.
Why YES? Well, because my favourite word in the whole wide World is NO! It’s the first word I ever learned, and “It” and I have had a love affair ever since. But NO you see, is a bit of a prick and does not have my best interests at heart. NO wants me to sit in my chair, eat Cheezies, grow my gut and watch House Hunters International. NO doesn’t like people and NO doesn’t like activity of any sort. NO is like really lazy!
“Do you want to go for a walk?”
“NO.”
Would you like to visit the So and So’s?”
“NO.”
“We have a tee time at 9 and would love for you to come out.”
“NO.”
Now, I might actually fancy a walk, enjoy the So and So’s company and want to play golf, but I say NO anyway, because it just feels right to say it. That’s not okay!
I need to say YES!
XMAS Concerts – YES!
Some of you reading this, we haven’t actually seen each other in years – how about YES?!
We’ll do it at XMAS! YES!
Drive around looking at the lights and while we are in town we should stop in and see the So and So’s – YES!
Riding my ebike with a fucking helmet – yes (well I’m working on that one, okay?).
We are going to eat healthy, workout – yeah… let me think about that.
“We’ll sing XMAS Carols around a fire.” Not a fucking chance!!!
Alright, not perfect, but it’s a start. YES is a good thing, and I promise to put in an all-encompassing effort towards spitting THAT word out of my mouth a little more. A 20% better chance of me saying YES, a reasonable target to strive for? I think so. We’ll see how it goes, but I will say this – I am going to have a Happy Hair Metal Holiday Shit Show of something or other next XMAS – YES, YES I AM!!! Don’t know what that’s gonna look like, Hell I don’t even know what a Happy Hair Metal Holiday Shit Show is (not that hard to imagine though, is it lol?) but hey, it could get interesting.
So anyway, Happy New Year 2024 to all you awesome-ists (I made that word up just for you)!!! Let’s make it a great one!!! And because I see your commercials are back – Fuck You Peloton!