New Years: It's Like Doing Laundry

New Year's Eve, New Year's Day -- it's like doing laundry and some light house cleaning.

It's out with the old (i.e. dirty socks and the like) and in with the newly cleaned and folded. It's getting rid of some dust, a few old newspapers and putting away holiday decorations to make the house look clean and orderly in some fashion.

I like this last week of the year only so that we can say good-bye to this past year and hello to a "new" year. Good, bad, indifferent --- time to say "See ya 2011 - it is what it is - and let's get on with a new year". Almost like a new beginning , ya think?

I offer no resolutions, no promises and no seriously deep thoughts about the meaning of New Years -- save for just one notion.

I took a little power nap earlier today for about 10 minutes and daydreamed of the Exumas. No, it's not a dry skin condition or a moisturizing lotion. It's a destination spot in the Bahamas about a 2-hour, 40-minute flight out of Atlanta. I read about the Exumas in a sailing blog (www.exuberantsailing.blogspot.com/.)  I daydreamed that it would perhaps be a great spot to end an old year and start a new one. Maybe....just maybe...I'll give into temptation and get a last minute package deal to the Sandals Resort there in the Exumas. How delightful would that be?

A Delightful New Years To All!

 

And All Was Quiet In The Little Town

I penned this some years ago and since then have had the enjoyment only upon a few occasions of reading it aloud for several small audiences. Hope you enjoy this holiday rendition as well:  JW

And All Was Quiet In The Little Town

T’was the night before Christmas

and all through the house,

many creatures were stirring;

the dog, the cat and the mouse.

The holiday stockings were washed

and tumbled dry with care

in hopes that Saint Nicholas

would soon be there.

The kids soon were all nestled,

spread six ways across the bed,

with dreams of big presents

weighing heavy in their heads.

Mom and Dad were now busy,

sneaking here and about;

putting out cookies and gifts

when they heard a shout.

“Ho-Ho!" and jingles

were heard in the sky,

a three-point landing

Santa would sure try.

Upon our roof he landed

with a thundering clatter,

I awoke suddenly thinking

it was just mind over matter.

Through the back door

the jolly fat man stumbled;

“Stay Prancer and Vixen,

and Rudolph,” he mumbled.

This was the warm place,

this small white house;

Santa left a little extra behind

for the dog, cat and mouse.

Christmas morning came,

yes all too soon;

the sun now was up,

and so too, was the moon.

Rip, tear and pitch

with the  wrappings they did;

there were plenty of presents

for parent and kid.

Then later came a silent hush

that fell upon the land,

each one looked at another

and held tight their hand.

"Christmas Day, Christmas Night,"

they took time to pray;

“Thank you Lord

for giving us this day.”

Giving and Receiving

Each of us knows what it is to give or receive something.  We do it so often and hardly without notice.  We give out a compliment, a smile, a darting glance, a handshake and a “Hi, how are ya”.  In return, we receive a certain sense of goodwill and happiness knowing that we can share a variety of the simple things in life.

The gift of giving is in knowing you are such a person – one who anticipates the joy of pleasing another.  The gift is not truly a gift, but a special sense of pride, self-esteem, love and sense of caring.  As an example, I share with you these weekly blog posts and thoughts in hopes they will at least make part of your day a little more enjoyable.

A person who enjoys the true act of giving expects little, or nothing, in return.  The thought of pleasing you with a good column pleases me even more and that’s enough to receive in return.

Receiving a gift, however, is not always such a simple task.  Perhaps you once received a gift and felt expected to give something back in return.  Each Christmas does have its awkward "gift" moments. “Why thank you, you’re so nice”,  is a common reply to the receipt of a gift.  There are some gifts that can be given when little or nothing has to be said to express gratitude and thanks.  This is partly why some people like to be so giving.  To see a smile on a child’s face when he or she opens that big present under the Christmas tree is enough to warm anyone’s heart and soul.

We’re continuing the holiday season now by making preparations for another Christmas feast.  Holiday decorations have popped up around town, the Charity Newsies have sold their newspapers on street corners and Toys For Tots drives have been completed.  There will be a lot of giving and receiving going on the remainder of this month and into early January.

It is hoped that not only your generosity and thoughtfulness will be richly rewarded, but that indeed some of it will spread to others.  And for my part, I’ll keep writing through the holidays for you so that together we can share in a fulfilling and rewarding holiday season with just a little bit more of a smile.

The "12 Beers of Christmas"

This time of year, many local bars, taverns and brew pubs host their respective annual Christmas parties. No two are exactly alike, but they generally follow a familiar script. Patrons are invited to their drinking establishment on a specific date, served alcohol and food, maybe enjoying as well a holiday potluck menu thanks to some of the regulars and bar owner, and surrounded with sports on TV and music from a band or jukebox. Pure fun.

One fine tradition remains at the annual Lindy's Bar Christmas Party, which observed its festivities this day in North Columbus. This tradition is a bar sing-along of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" and is done only once each year at this time. The details of how this becomes organized on-site must be protected so that its surprise may continue to delight unsuspecting Christmas Party attendees in future years. But suffice it to say, a bar full of beer guzzling nonprofessional singers and carolers can make for a fun rendition of a seasonal song that seems to be just a cut above the "12 Beers of Christmas".

On this special day, no one saw a partridge in a pear tree, but one guy said that he did observe a turkey buzzard feeding on some roadkill earlier in the day. Frank and his buddy at one corner of the bar had difficulty remembering the line "two turtle doves" and seemed to have no problem ordering two beers. "Three French hens" actually were three remaining pieces of pizza and they went nowhere. "Four calling birds" were the four people who were supposed to sing along and who instead went outside on the patio to smoke and forgot the whole sing-along had just started.

"Five golden rings" rang out strong from a bass-baritone-tenor combination of Susan, Brian, John and Bill (not in that order). "Six geese a laying" was an order of six Bud Lights for a table near the dartboard and they frequently forgot their part in the song. "Seven swans a swimming" also was lost among a group of beer drinkers more focused on watching a football game."Eight maids a milking came out in perfect harmony from Mary and two other singing cohorts who likely were the most sober of the bunch. "Nine ladies dancing" brought forth some drunken commentary from Mike sitting at the bar who thought there should be any number of ladies pole dancing in the bar. (Lindy's does not have pole dancers.)

"Ten lords a leaping, eleven pipers piping and twelve drummers drumming" only had to be covered a couple times, so for those sing-along participants their task was simple. In the finest of holiday bar traditions and under the coordination of our unofficial musical director Renee - the Twelve Days of Christmas put seasonal song into each heart that was present today and perhaps again tickled the souls of those former bar patrons who are no longer present in our Earthly world.

Next year, maybe I'll share some notes on another fine seasonal Lindy's tradition -- it's all about those spoons with holes.

One For The Good Guys

Here's one for the good guys this Christmas season:

A few nights ago I was with friends enjoying the music of a delightful duo and then a local band who were performing at a local Columbus neighborhood nightspot. The friends, Phil and Holly (who actually I regard as family), were experiencing a rather devastating loss of his guitars which were stolen a week prior during a home invasion.

Music has long been a significant part of Phil's heart and soul. And so too, has the love husband and wife share for one another, as well as the love of family and friends. It thus was difficult not to see the soulful pain Phil and Holly tried to obscure as their musician friends played on to a sparse, but growing bar crowd several nights ago.

To say Phil is a musician is like saying the sun is bright or that a rose is a flower. Like so many others, the man openly shares his soul as he shares his music with the rest of us -- often in impromptu fashion beside a bonfire at a cabin in the woods, on a well worn sofa in a living room with a cold, bare wood floor, maybe out in a park and certainly somewhere while sitting on a porch step.

So when the recent home invasion resulted in the theft of Phil's guitars -- all of them -- it was much more than musical instruments that were stolen -- it was a piece of his soul and a large part of his wife's heart, not to mention the disbelief of many friends who offered their support as best they could.

Word went out immediately after the theft occurred. Flyers were made and distributed to music shops, musicians, local bars and other establishments. Friends and family were alerted, but to most of us it surely seemed the damage was done and it would be among the saddest and empty Christmas seasons for Phil and Holly.

And soon there was a rare occurence.

The flyers, the notifications, the messages to friends and family, and perhaps also the prayers of a vigilant wife and deep tears of a soul becoming silenced --- came to fruition. The Angels on High, maybe it was Phil's angel, or Holly's, but somewhere a new angel earned its wings and it became a wonderful life for these two as alert employees at a Columbus area music center notified police when they recognized the stolen guitars someone had brought into the store to sell or trade.

Phil went to the police station, was able to indentify that part of his heart and soul recently taken and returned home with the knoweldge and experience that yes indeed, some times the good guys win. Holly then shared a photo with their supporters of a man successfully reconnected to all of his soul -- not only through his music, but also through his love for her and her love of him. You could see that in his face.

 Angels work, so do flyers and so does praying and so does a lot of love in our Universe.

Distraction Affected Accidents

Motor vehicle accident fatalities in 2010 dropped to their lowest level since 1949, according to a recent U.S. government report. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently said that 32,885 persons died in motor vehicle-related crashes on U.S. roadways last year – an average of about 90 persons each day.

What really was an attention-getter in that same report was the term “distraction-affected” to describe the type of accidents which claimed the lives of 3,092 people (1 of every 11) on the nation’s roadways in 2010. The term was applied to those fatal accidents that involved in-vehicle distractions such as use of a mobile communications device while driving --- i.e. texting, making a call or taking a call. These types of distractions also involved use of hands-free mobile communications devices.

The report can be found online at www.nhtsa.gov/

Unfortunately, omitted from “distraction-oriented” fatal crashes are other significant causative factors such as when motor vehicle operators are applying makeup, eating, have a pet in their lap, changing a radio/CD tuner, reading, smoking and a host of other “activities” while driving. The report also counted 10,228 roadway fatalities in 2010 that were due to driving while intoxicated.

The subject matter of including “distraction-affected” causes as a specific measurement in the reporting and analysis of fatal motor vehicle crashes also is capturing the attention of others across the transportation industry, such as those officials who are connected to the recreational boating industry. Look for the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and state watercraft agencies in 2012 and beyond to increase their focus on measuring and assessing what role “distraction-affected” causes may play in critical injury boating accidents. 

Seriously, Gift Ideas?

I've been fortunate in recent years to have written about some of my travels, especially those around Ohio. Many of my travel pieces have appeared in AAA's Home & Away Magazine, Journeys Magazine, Discover Ohio and a few other publications.

One of the surprises discovered perhaps five years ago was that Ohio does in fact have its own wine region. Really? Yes, in fact the Ohio Department of Agriculture and Ohio's travel and tourism industry have worked hard in the past decade to help increase awareness and foster appreciation for Ohio's wine industry. You can learn a lot more by looking at the information online developed by Ohio Grape Industries at http://www.ohiograpes.org/

When you see the diversity and location of some of our wineries across Ohio, you might consider something from Ohio's wineries as a good holiday gift opportunity. The web site also has some information on selecting wine to enjoy with certain meals. Ohio's wine heritage runs deep as the greater Cincinnati area, at one time, was the nation's wine capital.

Another good gift idea, and certainly a sobering one at that, is to consider giving a AAA gift membership as a new or renewal membership. Many of us can reflect on our lifetime of driving experience and well remember how thankful we were to have a AAA roadside assistance membership or how much we wished at the time we did have such a membership.

Lastly, an item in my Sunday paper stated that if a person were to buy all the gifts contained in the "Twelve Days of Christmas", the entire pricetag now would top $100,000. For most of us, that would be money well spent on something other than gold rings, French hens and a partridge in a pear tree.

December Traditions

December has arrived with anticipation among many who are looking forward to enjoying holiday traditions. One of these includes a trip to the vintage Clifton Mill located near Springfield, Ohio in the little hamlet of Clifton. Visitors can enjoy a display of more than 3 million Christmas lights, the antique Santa collection, hot chocolate and much more. Go online to http://www.discoverohio.com/
for more information.

This month's issue of Country Living Magazine features a good article on the Byesville Scenic Railway located near Cambridge in Guernsey County. Take a train ride through a historic region once known for its coal mining and learn a little about how Ohio families celebrated the holidays a century ago.

There is much to enjoy across the Buckeye State each and every holiday season. Get out and enjoy the holidays and festivities.

JW