By June Mathews
Of a Certain Age
Once again, I survived the holidays. And if you’re reading this, you evidently survived, too. For another 11 months or so, there’ll be no more last-minute shopping and wrapping, back-to-back gatherings, marathon baking sessions, decorating (although I did precious little of that this year), and the other stuff that keeps everybody hopping all season long.
And, if you work for the local chamber of commerce like I do, there’ll be no more worries about the early December weather forecast until late November. I now know firsthand how upsetpeople can get when God rains on their Christmas parade.
But while the chores and obligations of the holidays can become a grind, the celebratory aspects are usually worth the trouble, and the magic of the season becomes a soothing antidote towhatever stress it causes.
Before you know it, though, the New Year has come and gone,and the rest of January turns into a dreary period of readjusting to routines, repenting of all the money spent and calories consumed, and resolving to either break bad habits or form good ones.
No wonder the first month of the year, widely considered a time of new beginnings, can be such a disappointment. I’ve heard some people refer to this mid-winter letdown as the January blues, an affliction proven real by science and statistics. Too bad we can’t maintain that happy holiday feeling a while longer.
Or can we? In my internet meanderings a few days ago, I ran across a rather extensive list of January celebrations and decided to choose some favorites for my personal post-holiday enjoyment.
For example, I’ll be observing National Spaghetti Day on the 4th, National Popcorn Day on the 19th, National Cheese LoversDay on the 20th, National Blonde Brownie Day on the 22nd, National Pie Day on the 23rd, Chocolate Cake Day on the 27th, and National Corn Chip Day on the 29th. Lest I be considered an over-indulger, I’m skipping Bean Day on the 6th.
I’m also looking forward to Peculiar People Day on the 10th, National Nothing Day on the 16th, and Measure Your Feet Day on the 23rd, as long as it doesn’t interfere with my observance of National Pie Day.
Some of these holidays, though, I can do without. Take, for example, National Take the Stairs Day on the 9th. Can a celebration that requires physical effort really be considered a holiday? That sounds like work to me. And speaking of work, Punch the Clock Day falls on the 27th. But seriously, who in their right mind would celebrate that one?
I started to add Dress Up Your Pet Day to my calendar on the 14th but figured it would be a waste of time and money. The last time I tried putting clothing on my two furry little heathens, they wound up playing tug-of-war with each other’s sweaters.
Bitsy and Moxie are much more likely to enjoy Squirrel Appreciation Day on the 21st, but I figure the neighborhoodsquirrels wouldn’t appreciate their idea of a celebration, no more than I’d appreciate finding a lifeless squirrel on my front porch. So, I’ll be passing on that one, too.
As a writer, I’ll no doubt observe Thesaurus Day on the 18th and maybe National Handwriting Day on the 23rd, even though there’s nothing to celebrate about my personal brand of chicken scratch. And because I enjoy puzzles of all kinds, I’ll work a few on National Puzzle Day on the 29th.
I then plan to wrap up the month in a big way with National Backwards Day on the 31st. Or is that Day Backwards National on the 13th? Sure not am I.
At any rate, Happy January all month long!
Email June Mathews at jmathews120@charter.net.