Tis the Season...

For all my fans out there (2 maybe 3 of you - mom included), I've found my way back and am devoting my 2012 to working on regular entries now that I am, no more, a "Wannabe Adman"

But with the holidays approaching, I wanted to find the magic and hear the banter. Please, treat yourself.

Many moons ago, I learned the real value of Christmas. The presents are great; the food is coma-inducing; and the guests are usually over served and mouthy. But, it's all of those features that make the holidays what they are.

This year we've decided to not exchange gifts - this does not include my mother as she still spoils the bejesus out of us. We're at an age where whatever we want, we go out and get ourselves. It defeats the purpose of making a list & checking it twice; however, this is the reality we live in. I feel like i'm moving away from being the recipient and more towards becoming Santa himself. I may be a bit more robust than I was in the past, but I don't mean i'm looking more like Santa, i'm feeling more like him. So leave the fat jokes alone...you know who you are.

We did a family trip to Mexico last year and it was a gas. Sun & sand in December, who could complain? But it wasn't the same. There is too much of an adjustment period after you return, that it takes away from the trip you just took.

Regardless, the holiday season comes as fast as it goes. Christmas parties conclude and the realization that the beginning of a new year is knocking at the door begins. It's a time we all enjoy, yet look back on and ask, "where did the time go?"

This year, we're going back to our roots...traditional days and nights, complete with the tinsel, the Yuletide log channel and turkey.

So here's to everything right and wrong that make Christmas, Christmas; here's to a holiday season that allows a drunken night to set the bar for next year; and here's to surrounding ourselves with people we love & who love us. Because, you never know when something's got to give.