A New Year …

Of course, when this column comes out, Christmas will have passed, the goose will have been plucked, the figgy pudding set aflame, and the trash bins will be piled high with boxes and papers, and game parts that mistakenly went to the dumpster with the boxes. Grandma’s teeth, Uncle Harry’s leather hat with the horned-toad pin on it, and that cute candle the neighbors left on our front porch will be somewhere … hidden for a time. Surely, they will surface after the trash is picked up, the dishes washed, and the football game is over. I’ll find them … I’m a good looking woman.

When a holiday comes on a Friday, like this one did, it oozes over into the days after it until the “season” turns into a week. This year, with the pandemic, there will be less socializing. Here in the South, we are noted for showing up on Christmas night … or days later to eat a bite of leftovers, play a few reindeer games, and dig into those chocolate covered cherries we bought just in case we had some last minute guests. I found a box of them in the basement with the giftwrap from last year … I think I bought them last year. I’ve put them on the coffee table. If someone shows up on Sunday night, he’ll have a gift.

Of course, we are probably celebrating the end of this year more than we are looking for any kind of a new year. Somehow, we think that if the calendar changes, our troubles will be over. Of course, that’s not true. This pandemic threatens to wreak havoc throughout many more months as we line up for our vaccinations and continue to pray and take precautions. At least there are several vaccines out there. Let’s hope everyone partakes.

I was looking over the “newsmakers” who will be living a different life in 2021. Surely, Dr. Fauci will get a few days off. The poor man has worked himself to a frazzle … and there wasn’t much to start with. Politicians can begin to relax a little. They have about six weeks before they need to start their next campaigns. Serving our country in political office is not an easy job. Not only do they have to keep everyone’s names straight, but they also have to remember what they said about them the last time they ran against them.

Appointees to the new government will be looking for homes in the Washington, D.C., area. Those going home will be looking for boxes. There will be job applications, school visits, favors to call in. The going and coming around the nation’s capital should make life interesting during the next thirty days. The rest of us should probably just stay home, wear a mask, and wash our hands of the mess.

Some of us will be going back to work in “real jobs” soon. Let’s hope the restaurant workers, shop clerks, bus drivers, barbers and hairdressers will be back to working full time. There are a bunch of us scraggly looking citizens who really need a meal away from home, a pair of pajamas to replace those sweatpants we’ve worn out, and a haircut in front of a mirror.

Yes, 2021 is on its way. We are a little older, a lot more frustrated, somewhat more germ-conscious, more aware of the fragility of life, and hopeful for the future. Enjoy the LAST week of 2020.