Whee! It is that time once again. An old one bites the dust and a new one rises from it. Yes, I’ve already written a post about the holiday season and all the associated whoop-de-doo, but nobody mentioned a rule that I cannot write two. So there. Or here. Or wherever. Bleh.

You shovel yourself out of a foot of snow, drag yourself to work and discover that the office is half-empty, ‘cos your colleagues are busy tanning themselves silly on some undiscovered exotic sunny beach and insist on sending you postcards that some idiotic receptionist tapes up right next to the coffee machine. What’s worse, your annoying cubemate-from-hell will wear his green and red polka dot sweater and sidey up to you, demanding that you say cheese although you feel mostly sour cream-ish. Some forgettable person from the third floor will click the picture which will soon find its way into an office collage that the pesky chick from sales will put together. If she is in a good mood, she might just choose to tell you how the aqua-colored shirt you are wearing in the picture makes you look slimmer, leaving you sniffing around suspiciously for the intended slight.

But at the end of the day, you step out and look around to see the trees decked up with millions of starry lights. The snow on the branches glows softly. The changing colors of the clock tower light go from blue to purple to pink to red to green. Little children in bright-colored earmuffs skate around the frog pond, while tired but happy parents look on, holding hands. You smell the hot apple cider and hear the tinkle of the sleigh bells. As you pass by the park, an inflated Santa waves at you jocularly, his rotund belly bobbing against the sidewalk benches. And no matter what your day has been like, you cannot resist a grin. And you jump up on an impulse and chomp at a snowflake floating in the air.

So many reasons to smile. Friends near and loves afar. Some reasons in front of you and some simply in your heart. All making you look forward to the new year. So here’s wishing all my readers and commenters happier, better times and a new year that bring you the best of everything you wish for.

Update : Pliss to not miss the priceless comments section of this thread that was rejuvenated thanks to aNTi’s breezy rendition of a hit song from Bluffmaster. The author of this blog is not responsible for the madness that followed.