Home for the Holidays
With covid going nowhere, the constantly looming threat of another shut down keeps me motivated to hoard my resources like a dragon. Having said that, we haven’t been spending a lot of money on extra tanks of gas these past few weeks. It’s not that we haven’t wanted to get out of town, but with winter weather on its way and holiday shopping taking the majority of my cash flow, I haven’t yet had a chance to put all terrain tires on the car. Safety first.
In the meantime, Hailie and I have been having holiday fun at home. Thanksgiving was spent trying out new recipes since we didn’t have family to judge us for it turning out like crap (which it didn’t) and we played Gloomhaven all day. Normally we do a “Shopsgiving” with the families working in the barbershop, but this year we decided to play it safe and do a socially distance celebration instead.
Christmas in Color is on display this year, and it’s socially distanced track of more than a million lights synced up to music that gets blasted through your car’s stereo. Each barber stayed with their own family inside their vehicle to enjoy the slow paced drive through the show. It’s nice to see businesses adapt to the situation we were all presented with instead of falling victim to it. It’s been weird seeing so many friends and families have to change their normal lives simultaneously, and some have been able to get by unscathed while others weren’t as fortunate.
We finally put our tree up today. I wasn’t sure if we were going to do it this year or not, simply because this year doesn’t feel like much to celebrate. But still, I woke up at 6:30 this morning, went out into the garage and moved the car out of the way so I could grab the boxes that stay stored as far out of the way for 48 of the of 52 wrong weeks to celebrate within the calendar year.
I recently wrote an article for the shop and I forced myself to look back at 2020 as a year in review, and seehow much crap we’ve all dealt with collectively as a nation and as a world. With death rates surging, we have finally entered the first days of Pfizer’s approved vaccine hitting the market in the U.K and Canada, reports are starting to show up overseas that some recipients with severe allergies have been having allergic reactions to the medication.
Dumpster fire by definition.
Regardless, this year may have had some wonky curveballs, but it has also offered opportunities to be thankful for the things you have. Hailie and I have a tradition of getting a new ornament pair every year, so unpacking Christmas boxes helps me remember back to all the good times with the one I love the most. And as an added bonus, I completely forgot that we got new stockings last year, so it’s safe to say my unicorn stocking is probably a lot cooler than whatever sock you call a stocking.
Whatever you celebrate, we hope you have a great time with the family you feel safest with, or the most minimalist holiday you can pull off.
-Chris
