You've given me much to think about. I too noticed that something changed. This gives me some new ideas around this "shift" I've observed. I thought (and, I think I heard someone else say this), everything started to go to the shit house after David Bowie died in 2016. Accordingly, I felt like it was gathering speed into 2019, and then the train came off the rails in 2020. But, there's no doubt, we crossed over into something. There doesn't seem to be any going back. Maybe it was the green lightning.
The thing is, Christmas wasn't just magical (for me) as a kid. It was magical as a young adult too, and stretched long into parenthood. It lasted the whole Yule season... I remember laying on the floor (I think in my first apartment) and recording albums onto cassette tapes, as WXPN covered their albums of the year list. I don't remember if it was at Christmas or New Year's... or maybe even Thanksgiving.... but, I remember thinking that the world was simply perfect at that moment. I mean, I was getting free albums from the radio, and all it cost me was a few buck for a stack of empty TDKs and an occasional lost track as switched the tape to side B. I knew I could swing by my parent's house for some leftovers when I got hungry, hit my local pub for Lager on the way back home, and hope for one of those big-ass Nor'easter storms to hit central PA. My only worry was the conceptual stress of Desert Storm off in the distance. I was stoked if I got a new flannel shirt under the tree and a gift card for The Wall. Simplicity.
For me, Christmas was consistently awesome through the 70's, 80's, 90's and into the aughts. I was reading the Farmers' Almanac a few days ago. It describes these few weeks as a time to rest after all the harvest was done... a time when it gets too dark to work much, so you rest before going back to the plough and loom. There was no mention of gathering LCD TVs.
" I knew I could swing by my parent's house for some leftovers when I got hungry, hit my local pub for Lager on the way back home, and hope for one of those big-ass Nor'easter storms to hit central PA. My only worry was the conceptual stress of Desert Storm off in the distance. I was stoked if I got a new flannel shirt under the tree and a gift card for The Wall. Simplicity."
I’m going back to the beginning , the part about your Big Onion character, his response to Lou in the casket, winding back to his early development, but am drawn into the story McRib Boy’s ( I
(Couldn’t find him on Substack) upsetting account of a Pre-Christmas tragedy, wherein good hearted Lou purposely takes a fatal hit for another shopper. Therein, to me, a tale of the heart of Christmas, the ultimate sacrifice, sans the resurrection. But the chaotic scene leading up to Lou’s death triggered within me enough angst that I dare not step foot into Best Buy. Not so much a sense of danger ( although we did have a tragic mass shooting at the Walmart two Thanksgivings ago) , but the onset of the usual self-perpetuated anxieties related to worldwide compulsory shopping and giving to so many loved ones at once, a fear of getting sucked into 12 hour vortex with a cart overflowing with stuff sliding off onto the floor. And I have no kids. Though it comes around year after year, it’s nothing like a Hallmark story, in fact Hallmark only makes it worse. So your story (or ‘McRibs?? story ) made me want to go back to The beginning, the story of Big Onion and Lou. The part where people are just living thier private Idahos, dealing with personality quirks and differences, life and death. One other thing: I think that the times your say “ this sounds like BS, but im just telling you what i saw or heard, its a nice way to make everything more believable. I didn’t get any further today.
You've given me much to think about. I too noticed that something changed. This gives me some new ideas around this "shift" I've observed. I thought (and, I think I heard someone else say this), everything started to go to the shit house after David Bowie died in 2016. Accordingly, I felt like it was gathering speed into 2019, and then the train came off the rails in 2020. But, there's no doubt, we crossed over into something. There doesn't seem to be any going back. Maybe it was the green lightning.
The thing is, Christmas wasn't just magical (for me) as a kid. It was magical as a young adult too, and stretched long into parenthood. It lasted the whole Yule season... I remember laying on the floor (I think in my first apartment) and recording albums onto cassette tapes, as WXPN covered their albums of the year list. I don't remember if it was at Christmas or New Year's... or maybe even Thanksgiving.... but, I remember thinking that the world was simply perfect at that moment. I mean, I was getting free albums from the radio, and all it cost me was a few buck for a stack of empty TDKs and an occasional lost track as switched the tape to side B. I knew I could swing by my parent's house for some leftovers when I got hungry, hit my local pub for Lager on the way back home, and hope for one of those big-ass Nor'easter storms to hit central PA. My only worry was the conceptual stress of Desert Storm off in the distance. I was stoked if I got a new flannel shirt under the tree and a gift card for The Wall. Simplicity.
For me, Christmas was consistently awesome through the 70's, 80's, 90's and into the aughts. I was reading the Farmers' Almanac a few days ago. It describes these few weeks as a time to rest after all the harvest was done... a time when it gets too dark to work much, so you rest before going back to the plough and loom. There was no mention of gathering LCD TVs.
" I knew I could swing by my parent's house for some leftovers when I got hungry, hit my local pub for Lager on the way back home, and hope for one of those big-ass Nor'easter storms to hit central PA. My only worry was the conceptual stress of Desert Storm off in the distance. I was stoked if I got a new flannel shirt under the tree and a gift card for The Wall. Simplicity."
That's beautiful writing, Tom. Thanks for that.
Brilliant. Merry Christmas buddy!
Thanks Tom. Merry Christmas!
https://www.facebook.com/share/r/15kLYoFrch/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I’m going back to the beginning , the part about your Big Onion character, his response to Lou in the casket, winding back to his early development, but am drawn into the story McRib Boy’s ( I
(Couldn’t find him on Substack) upsetting account of a Pre-Christmas tragedy, wherein good hearted Lou purposely takes a fatal hit for another shopper. Therein, to me, a tale of the heart of Christmas, the ultimate sacrifice, sans the resurrection. But the chaotic scene leading up to Lou’s death triggered within me enough angst that I dare not step foot into Best Buy. Not so much a sense of danger ( although we did have a tragic mass shooting at the Walmart two Thanksgivings ago) , but the onset of the usual self-perpetuated anxieties related to worldwide compulsory shopping and giving to so many loved ones at once, a fear of getting sucked into 12 hour vortex with a cart overflowing with stuff sliding off onto the floor. And I have no kids. Though it comes around year after year, it’s nothing like a Hallmark story, in fact Hallmark only makes it worse. So your story (or ‘McRibs?? story ) made me want to go back to The beginning, the story of Big Onion and Lou. The part where people are just living thier private Idahos, dealing with personality quirks and differences, life and death. One other thing: I think that the times your say “ this sounds like BS, but im just telling you what i saw or heard, its a nice way to make everything more believable. I didn’t get any further today.
Ha! Merry Christmas to you and yours! 🎄
Is this a true story?
As far as I know… Yes!