One Month & A Wakeup Until The Best Holiday Of The Year

Yes you revelers of the new year, you may have all sat snug around the hearth last night and had a few hot toddies, or maybe you were the type to go out and dance the night away while sipping highballs, or maybe the heartier or wilder type to brave the chill night air (not to chill last night) at places like Times Square and watch the ball til it dropped then scream like bloody hell was upon you, or just the type (like my wife) to visit neighbors for a rather quiet party - but me I pretty much stayed home. I did manage to get out at about 900 last night for dinner. My repast consisted of a finer green bottled lager of the Netherlands and an all American classic - a cheeseburger deluxe platter but it was more than enough festivity for me to end the old year. Starting another year for me was/is nowhere as of great import as was finishing off the old one. To see another one go by is to know I have beaten the odds, cheated the devil, robbed hell of a soul that already has one foot inside it, and just made it through another one. I was delighted to walk to a local pub, have a couple of beers, eat my meal and head right back home. Once there I commenced watching the tube - then fell asleep just around 11PM. I was awakened by our dogs, who seemingly wanted out for a pee, at precisely 12:02 of the new day. I guess that was about how long it took for the first successful drunkard reveler in the neighborhood to get outside, set up the fireworks, set them off - and for their retort to reach the ears of our pooches. I only realized, about a minute after letting them out and standing in the portal awaiting their return from the dark depths of our postage stamp sized backyard, that it was the new year. I let the dogs back in, went down to the basement, turned the TV back on, tuned into the Twilight Zone, realized my wife was still out, and then dozed off watching some weird scene or another flit across my television screen in black and white.


As for the rest of the world, much of it was partying like my wife, daughter and son who were all out having a good time. I gave up on New years' celebrations long ago - it's just not my bag. Much like those wonderful in that wonderful family called Addams, I prefer the offbeat when it comes to celebrations. So, it is on the 2nd of next month, that I will celebrate the holiday of holidays. Sadly I will probably be the only one to celebrate among my family members and more sadly still I will probably wind up celebrating it alone, as in all by myself. Don't get me wrong - others celebrate it too. I mean, how could you not. It is a holiday of hope, where humanity has determined that the whims of a fairly small furry creature should decide the fate of the global climate - well at least the climate in the northern hemisphere. No, I do not mean that pompous ass Al Gore. I do mean the Ground Hog!


Yes folks, to me Ground Hog's Day is the penultimate of all holidays. Maybe that is so, first and foremost, because it is not an official holiday. I like that because no one is telling me when to celebrate. Besides that no one has created Ground Hog's day greeting cards, Ground Hog's Day floral arrangements, Ground Hog's Day candies, at least not any major retailer on a national level. About the only almost obligatory thing to do is to watch ground Hog's Day with Bill Murray and even that is really optional. Granted, I do not get the day off but I do get to waste spend a lot of it watching the TV and Internet news about Punxsutawney Phil (and all the other impostors) and their predictions for just how long winter will last or just how short it will be. Hope springs eternal folks and spring and nicer weather are hopefully always only 6 weeks away from the little fur ball giving his best shot at figuring when it will arrive.

I just love the holiday - as I said none better. I am looking forward to it and to my own personal celebration of furry little critters predicting the weather better than Al Roker and Al Gore and to the fact that hope springs eternal - so much so we pin our hopes on whether or not a rodent sees its own shadow!

All the best,
Glenn