It happens every year at this time – the post-holiday letdown.
We spend weeks and even months getting ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas and then it culminates with the flip of the calendar.
And then … nothing. Just a lull.
We’re in Michigan, so January means freezing temperatures and snow-covered roads and driveways.
Eek.
I always say the time from Halloween to January 1 is my most favorite time of the year because we have a lot to look forward to, a lot of happy family time.
As soon as January 2 hits, the holiday ads stop, the music stops, many people take down their decorations, the kids go back to school.
Back to normal.
These days, “normal” means constant worries about this pandemic, along with normal everyday worries.
The Christmas season, at least temporarily, masks those worries and uneasy feelings. We hear the music on the car radio and we sing along. The ads make us want to get fun gifts for loved one. The sales on food get us into the stores to buy all that yummy food that, more times than not, we always eat too much and pass out before dessert.
In this space ad nauseum, I have preached the fact that we have to keep the positive vibes going, and that’s not always the easiest thing in the world to do.
The past two years, starting with Kobe Bryant passing away and on the home front, losing our 16-year-old pooch days later, have been nothing short of unprecedented (there is one of those words we have learned during COVID-19).
Then recently, the world says goodbye to Betty White, Sidney Poitier and Bob Saget. What?!?
The year 2022 hasn’t started off the best, but I can guarantee that the positives will outweigh the negatives.
I wish the whole year could have that Christmas glow. Everyone seems to be in a bubbly mood and the fun times far outnumber the craziness.
Yes, I’m that guy that watches “Elf” in July and that throws on some Christmas tunes when no one is home. I am who I am. Ha!
Happy 2022, everyone.
Let’s do this.
— Matt Mackinder