From the Other Publisher / Karen York
I, for one, am glad that the good and the bad of the holidays are finally behind us. While I am still enjoying the warmth generated in gatherings of family and friends, old and new, and loved the feasts and the parties, I especially appreciated the rituals that help us rejoice, reflect and resolve (the good). Even so, I am happy see the end to forced conviviality-making small talk with associates or family members that you haven’t seen all year-and for good reason. I suffered fete-fatigue, over indulgence, indigestion, too much candy and too many calories (the bad) and I’m happy to return to normal life.
Actually, I had tried to maintain my ‘normal life” during the holidays, but while I was conscientiously pursuing my responsibilities, the entire world seemed to go on vacation without me. I barely managed to keep it together between Thanksgiving and the week before Christmas, but I totally lost control after that. Phone calls and e-mails went unanswered and everyone wanted to delay decisions until “after the first.” It was difficult when dealing with the newspaper business where deadlines are daily and non-negotiable. It was futile to even try when I attempted to meet my consulting commitments. After a few frustrating days, we decided it would be better to join rather than fight a reality created by two major holidays book-ended by weekends with legal Monday holidays. To avoid further frustration, we ended up taking the week between Christmas and New Year’s “off” (if by “off” you include e-mail and voicemail access and a few business meetings too). Still, it felt like playing hooky-you were supposed to be “working” but you weren’t. While others were (supposed to be) working you were playing. We experienced some guilt, but also lots of guilty pleasure (the best kind?)-sleeping late, lunching long, dining early and going to movies in the daytime. We had so much fun we’ve decided to make it an annual thing.
We returned to real life on January 1, un-decorated the house and dealt with our stack of holiday cards; re-reading and retaining those that were personally annotated or particularly beautiful, tossing those that were not, and filing away the photographs that documented the growth and changes in our friend’s lives. We cherish each one and always recall with nostalgia the photos from previous years which had featured first just the couple, then a family, then a couple again, and then a family again as their children brought new children into their lives and ours.
The Holiday Family Letters came in for renewed scrutiny and we discussed news of the marriages, children, grandchildren (all brilliant, beautiful, high achievers, all-stars, etc.), promotions and new jobs, exotic vacations, lifetime achievement awards (now you know you’re getting old!), etc. Most focused on the traditional family “good news,” but, this year, for the first time I can recall, there was also mention of divorce (new beginnings?), personal challenges and losses. There were also references to the plight of disaster victims (the tsunami, earthquakes, hurricanes and tornados), the homeless and the lives and limbs lost to the war in Iraq. It was as if while recounting blessings each one acknowledged that blessings weren’t that evenly distributed last year.
The cards are now catalogued, the photos filed, the presents put away, and the high protein, low carb diet launched. Wow. A new year. Another one coming fast on the heels of the one before. The older I get, the faster they seem to come and go. I guess the lesson to be learned from this is that we should focus on the moments of our lives rather than the years, making sure that each is filled with the best we can bring to it: high consciousness, positive energy, attention to those we love and those in need, and an “attitude of gratitude.” For a start …
Wishing you a healthy, happy and prosperous new year to our Malibu family.