This year Boxing Day was a genuine holiday in the U.S., but only because Christmas Day was on a Sunday, so Monday was officially a holiday for all federal workers and others who would normally have a Christmas holiday. Many others, I presume, were at work as usual, although I noticed while I was out walking last Monday that the crews working on our condo's massive water sealing project had the day off. Good for them.
Boxing Day is one of those British traditions that supposedly goes back to the time when folks with servants gave them a box of gifts on the day following Christmas. This grew to a tradition of giving to the needy that was eventually established as an official bank holiday. As soon as I discovered its existence, I declared it one of my own personal holidays as well. Back when I was employed, I was a great fan of holidays, and claimed all that I could. In time, as I built up my leave, I began a personal tradition of taking a long Christmas break, usually at least two weeks, extending from the week prior to Christmas through New Year's day and the day after, which is my birthday, a sort of personal boxing day.
As I think I have mentioned on other occasions, I have a number of personal traditions associated not only with the Christmas holiday season but with the coming of a new year and also my birthday, since that always follows the beginning of a new year. I usually mark the occasion of this new beginning by sitting down and filling in all the information in my new Letts Diary. It perhaps strikes some of those who know me and my penchant for electronic gadgets that this devotion to Letts Diaries is somewhat anachronistic. And, of course, it is. But having established the personal tradition of keeping all my important reference points and schedule in one of these little pocket diaries, I've become reliant on them as a resource and superstitious about abandoning the practice. Besides they are really neat, as well as handy, and filled with useful facts and points of reference, including this year a tiny atlas.
My other New Year/Birthday tradition is to buy myself a bottle of Single Malt scotch whisky. Over the years I've sampled quite a wide variety (yes, I'm old), but generally I prefer those distilled on Islay, for their peaty aroma and flavor. In fact, my everyday scotch is a single malt from Islay, McClellands, which I drink in honor of my birth name. I've finally found something the McClellands can be proud of. But while I like McClellands (the whisky), I recognize that it isn't a superior scotch, like Laphroaig or Ardbeg. This year I'm thinking of getting some Lagavulin, if I can find it (and afford it).
Next year will be the first full year of my retirement, and I have great plans, but then I had plans for this year as well, and it turned out to be mainly learning how to cope. Now, however, I think I'm getting the hang of it. My principle rule in retirement (as it has been in life) is to go with the flow. Make plans, but stay flexible. The Rolling Stones used to say "you can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need." I've revised that just a bit. My personal motto is: "want what you get" and "reason not the need."
And so as 2011 fades to memory and 2012 looms before me, I'm set to embrace my future and make the most of it, whatever it is. Of course, wanting what you get may prove to be a hard principle to follow once the presidential elections are over, but that's a misery to face in 2013. And after all, I am retired now, and I understand a lot of expats enjoy life in Mexico, even with all the drug wars raging down there. Hey, I've lived more than 25 years in proximity to Washington, DC; how bad can it be?
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