here we are in January again, avoiding eye contact with the resolutions of our new year and drink normally despite one day wish contrite and groggy new year stay dry until February. We got on well though. I'm sure there are some solid kinds out there that are still on the wagon, maybe even some who have given up the wrong drink forever, but I'm certainly not one of them.
I lasted until 7 January, which I thought was a sterling effort. In my defense, I was invited to a lunch, which seemed innocent enough on the surface, but turned to include the free flow wine and beer. This is an ambush and was enough for me to grant me an instant reprieve with minimal guilt reasons. (For those of you who never drink alcohol, good for you, but I remember a quote from Winston Churchill: "It must be terrible to wake up in the morning knowing that is the best you'll feel all day. ")
during the holidays, I started to think seriously for the first time about how Christmas has changed over the years. Until this year, I sort of assumed absently it's because I'm a big boy now, as everyone says, Christmas is very good for children; a moment of wonder, excitement and innocence This is true, of course, and. I have fond memories of Christmas Eves sleep to watch the clock and Christmas morning excited broke into my parents' bedroom at 6 am with my brother and my sister to ask if we could open our presents. (We have once again erupted while our father was opening his Christmas gift, but a few years of therapy set it.)
If I had to summarize what I think has changed for the worse about Christmas in one word, the word would be "reflection". I went over this last festive season that while I have very good memories of Christmas as a child (apart from this incident ... happy place ... happy place ...) I also good memories of Christmas 25 years ago when I was already wear long trousers and tell the truth about the girls.
The great ritual was at the time of giving and receiving Christmas cards. Each house you visit during the Christmas season would Christmas cards everywhere, on every flat surface and sometimes displayed proudly high, flared on a piece of string as part of seasonal decorations. Everyone used to send cards by mail to people they would not see during the holidays and make personalized cards with them wherever they went around Christmas time to distribute among family and friends, as and when they saw them. Everyone keep some spare cards and a pen in their pocket or in the car so they can do a hurry to someone who turned unexpectedly or was forgotten. The only people would send cards to themselves.
Why do we display Christmas cards so proudly in our homes? Because they were people who had thought of us and took the time and trouble to write a card and make sure that we had. Why do we have such great efforts to ensure that we have given a card to everyone we know? Because if we do not it would imply that we love or care about them. Christmas cards were like maps of Valentine without love, and do not give someone a Christmas was like not giving your girlfriend a Valentine's Day (I had to shoehorn that is in there but it was worth it). We would even lie rather than admit that we had forgotten to get a card for someone. "Did you get my card? No? That's weird ..."
The Christmas card was more than just a greeting, it was a message. The message was not only "Merry Christmas" (text messages, e-mails and e-cards that we send now say that in an instant with minimum fuss and maximum sterility). The message was "I think of you, I appreciate you, and I'm willing to make an effort to make sure you know." In many ways the Christmas card was the ultimate thoughtful gift that we gave to all . world we knew, not only the people closest to us So forget the trees and all the green nonsense, we will bring the Christmas card time, thoughtful, wonderful, pain in the ass it was [
PS If you've been offended by anything in this article, I was not talking about you, and if you do not send Christmas cards, where is mine?