It's hard to believe that the big day has come and gone. The fat guy in the red suit – that would be cousin Alfred – has already headed back north, somewhere to a mound between Three Hills and Two Hills. (In Alberta lingo, that would make it one hill.) And talk about stuffed turkey(s)! I don't know which is more stuffed, the turkey before it's consumed or the ones after it's consumed.
There are two jobs that will never go out of style in the days that follow Christmas – a return clerk at Wal-Mart and a seamstress. Seamstress? That's an old term for "one who sews," and (s)he will always be busy through to the end of January, turning tight waistlines into the shapes of small counties.
It is terribly unfortunate that we all tend to eat too much over the holidays. I often make cracks about it (read the above), and in general, we all lament the extra calories we take in over this time of the year. This tends to be followed by the primary New Year's Resolution, namely, a plan to shed those extra ten pounds that those Christmas indulgences contributed to. I'll, uh, eat to that.
Sometime next week, I plan to head south for the day, and one of my stops will be the (recently-rebuilt) Golden Corral in Great Falls. The joy of eating whatever I want and how much as I want at the same sitting is countered by the disgust I feel by watching others do the same. That sounds like I'm a hypocrite, so let me re-phrase it: I love the variety that a classy buffet offers, and I like to dabble in as much as I can – operative word is dabble. My outrage is when many (very obese people) load up, wolf down, and head back, time after time after time. I'm thinking of a front-end loader when I write this.
I even heard of one buffet that finally turned down a repeat customer because he ate too much at each meal. Only in Mississippi, they say, only in Mississippi.
Meanwhile, back at the fat rant: One of the gifts that I wanted to leave with people at large (no pun intended) last week was the gift of Self-Control. There is no greater need when it comes to our general eating habits. Whether it is that spoiled brat who won't eat his veggies or that overweight thug who has thirds of everything, self-control is the missing ingredient. Perhaps if Dad and Mom had trained the kid, the adult wouldn't have so many out-of-control issues.
Christmas is a wonderful time of year, apart from any historical-biblical angle. It is a great time to re-connect through actual visits, phone calls, and newsletters. It is a happy time to slow down and take it easy with family and friends. And who can forget the gifts? Even this year I got some great ones that I actually needed.
But the spending and eating and stressing that is out of control is the part that bothers me. Somehow, and maybe this is sort of a vow or goal for the upcoming year, it would be to reign in the unchecked budget, the uncontrolled appetite, and unorganized plans. Whatever your take is on the original Christmas – and please note that I said 'Christmas' – try to organize for a simpler fare for next year. Start now, by laying out some general ground rules for what you are and aren't going to do, whether it be spending or eating.
In the meantime, if you need a seamstress, I have one in mind. She runs a neat outfit in Lethbridge; it's called "Waist Not, Want Not."
No comments:
Post a Comment