Friday, November 13, 2009

Dates

Dates … These are not really exactly dates, like maybe April 13th. My dates indicate changes, not nailed to one certain day, but rather a date “in parenthesis,” you might say.

Take, for instance, Labor Day. It is an icon of sorts that comes up on your mental screen as ''Summer's End.'' We simmer in this period of time in a pre-autumnal mood, not really wanting to accept the fact that it is all over for another year, for about a month when we see a first leaf appear on the lawn.

Suddenly it is Hallowe'en and the very next day, the pumpkins are out for collection and up here in Canada, out comes the Christmas decorations and the stores are changing their Seasonal Department items from rakes, orange leaf bags and sales on old flowers over to 4' plastic Christmas trees, Prestone sales and winter tires.

November 1st, c'mon, you can't be serious. I just last week did a steak on my BBQ, or was it, yes it was, it was in September! In the States, this occurs the day after Thanksgiving; Christmas is everywhere and by the time the Manger is occupied we are so fed up with it all, we begin simmering, something like a stew in a crock pot.

Come Valentine's Day, out comes the bright advent of better times, Easter, that period of awakening, the renaissance of warm sun and promises of ''I can't-wait-for-Memorial-Day''. Out of the blue it is again Labor Day and . . . sadly, we are a year older and up pops that dumb icon again. -- Jim Carten, Quebec

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

There is a local radio station that is already playing Christmas songs. The way I figure it, even the Christ Child is sick and tired of hearing "Away in a Manger" by mid-December. And the REAL sad part, on December 26th it all just goes away.

179 FR

November 16, 2009 1:57 PM  

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