2015 HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS MAGAZINE LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.COM NOVEMBER 25, 2015 Page 33
presents? I would say that, but the sight of
Black Friday mobs and the chaos that ensues
only reminds me that these shoppers are
looking for sales so they can give something
to somebody else. If you’re willing to cause
a stampede just so Mom can get a new waffle
iron for half price, maybe it’s not a question of
greed after all.
• I am in awe when I see Christmas decorations
in stores. After all, nobody was buying
anything in the clearance isle; why not
replace it with wrapping paper the day before
Halloween? If stores were smart, they would
just replace the clearance sign with a Christmas
sign and be done with it. Maybe then the stuff
would sell.
• I love seeing my family members at
Christmas, even though I am still reeling from
Thanksgiving. I am all too eager to hear them
tell somebody else the same story I heard a
month before, because, let’s be honest - chances
are, not much has changed for them since
then. On top of that, I love answering the same
questions every year with the same answers.
“Yes, I’m still writing. Yes, I’m still in school.
No, I haven’t gotten married yet.” The best part
of the holiday is getting to know the people who
somehow weren’t around for Thanksgiving, as
there is always an entirely new set of people
to try and get to know for the next three hours
before they disappear. They may or may not be
back next year, after all.
• I love eating the same food I ate at
Thanksgiving for Christmas. Evidently I don’t
get enough ham in my diet as it is.
• Opening presents is always fun at Christmas.
It’s just so exciting watching the youngest
ones, the babies, try to smack at a gift in a vain
attempt to open it, only for Mom to open it and
be more excited over the fifty-third Sesame
Street shirt. After the youngest family members
are done “opening” their gifts, suddenly we
have to open everything one person at a time.
Nothing is more comforting than a few dozen
people staring at you, expecting you to smile
and laugh with joy as you open a gift from
someone you only see once a year. At least you
get a turn to stare back.
Maybe I’ve said too much. The holiday season
is indeed a season for friends and family. After
all, every year the holidays pass, and even a
curmudgeon is disappointed when the best part
of a dreary time of year has passed. Maybe
that’s why it’s at the end of the year; we have
to do something to combat the horrible weather
and the lack of a sun past five p.m.
If there is anything to the season that is truly
dreadful, it is when these thoughts, said in jest,
take on a life of their own. Whatever holiday
you celebrate and however you celebrate it,
remember that this is supposed to be a time of
joy. There’s nothing more frustrating to me, for
all of the downsides of a holiday, than trying to
rip that joy away from others.
After all, it is the most wonderful time of the
year (so they say).
Story by Derek Hurley
