HOT PURSUIT

My new year usually revolves around the old familiar phrase, “In with the new, out with the old.”

I certainly always look forward to New Year’s Day when we celebrate the start of new beginnings. In this case, the year 2023. And this year was no exception.

It’s nice to look at the year ahead and think about what challenges may lie ahead. Dreams of having a prosperous new year always loom around in my mind.

But I also despise New Year’s Day in other ways. It’s mostly because I make it my official day to tear down the holiday decorations, including the tree. While I had a little help, we had everything taken down and packed away within a few hours. It seems as if everyone gets into the “out with the old” a little faster than I want at times, but it’s nice to be done with it as we quickly get consumed with daily life again in the days after New Year’s.

By evening, it was looking pretty dismal in my house. I felt like my house had been ransacked by the burglars from Home Alone.

I love the holiday season and all the beauty that comes with it. I enjoy decorating both the inside and outside with lots of holiday lights, ornaments and of course, my favorite, nutcrackers and village pieces.

A few years back I decided to put together a mix match of various village pieces representing different parts of my life. I have a farm piece representing my childhood of growing up on the farm. Not surprisingly, I have a couple newspaper offices as well as a TV station showcasing my media background. There is also a police station with police squads keeping the peace in my village. There are even a few cops walking the beat.

This year I received a Christmas gift that brought a big smile and a few laughs to me. It was the Christmas Vacation station wagon with a tree strapped across it. For years, I have headed out to the Christmas tree farm with the family to cut down a tree. I think I have inherited the nickname of Clark Griswold because of my love of stringing up outdoor lights and decorating a real tree.

However, I have never dealt with any real Clark Griswold crises. The closest I came was a glass candle that ran out of wax and was flaming away this year. I quickly extinguished the flames before it spread anywhere.

With just a tinge of sadness, I’m now beyond the holidays and ready to conquer the real world in 2023. It’s going to be a great year with lots of promise for making it the best year possible.

Cheers to a new year as we go in hot pursuit of making this a memorable year.