Attention Holiday Shoppers

Dearest Reader,

This holiday season, I have just not been feeling the spirit...until Friday afternoon.  I have been in a holiday funk that I didn't think I would shake.  Then, for whatever reason, as I was driving down the street it hit me. I know the exact moment it happened, but don't know why.  There was nothing of importance about the moment.  I just suddenly felt the holidays hit me.  In short, the holidays sucker punched me.

I suppose that that I should be thankful for what this year has brought me.  In many ways I am.  My life is back on track; I am handling things that need dealing with; I've made pants out of Jello.  Those lamb dishes throughout the year were really well played; I am happy for that this year. In general, this has been a year where I had to figure shit out.  Hunh, sort of a mid-life crisis or some shit.

But something happened on Friday that made me feel really good.  It was a really nostalgic moment.  Was in the car and passed an old strip shopping center.  Must have gone up in the late 60's and was exactly like the old strip center that was around the corner from the first house of my memory.  I felt such a sense of longing for that brief period in life when you are conscious of your surroundings and every moment was new. Intermission for a second.  Kick back and relax.  Here, maybe this will help:

Ok, back. Sorry about that.  Had to get a few things done around here in preparation for tomorrow.  It could have been worse.  Deputy Dawg and Muskie fishing? What other writer on this blog sight would put up this kind of content for free? Exactly.  No one else.

So I felt this odd sense of appreciation for that early part of life when everything was new and you knew it as it was happening.  Quite a year, dearest reader.  I reestablished my love of all things funk:

Began writing bad haiku; fought off an infantry unit in Bolivia (wait, that might have been Butch and Sundance); managed to eat a lot of good meals; saw friends from all places and under varied circumstances; I got to reconnect with friends from earlier years in the BKoM's existence. Somehow that all caught up to me driving past this old shopping center and it felt like a new feeling, but I guess at a certain point, new ceases to hold the same value in a universal sense.  My emotions accept newness in such a wide variety of outpourings. I guess I missed the idea of being awed on a regular basis anymore.

But driving past that old strip shopping center reminded me of that period in my life that was a state of constant awe and wonder.  That sent me into this mood.
Christmas reminds me of some top 10 moments of awe I have in my childhood memory.  Just to break up the mood, the guy upstairs on Christmas Eve night is blaring music.  Dude's an asshole of the highest order.But what the hell, I'm in the Christmas spirit. Look at me being all forgiving.

Here's hoping regardless of your religious views or nationalities or party loyalties or location in the universe, you know you are always welcome here.  Merry Christmas to all.  Take care of yourselves.

Your humblest of servants,
Burrito King of Montreal Esq.