Well, folks, we’ve made it to the last stretch of 2024. I know my least favorite season of the year is settling in when 4 p.m. is the golden hour and the breeze starts biting. It’s so very cold (unless it’s not; Memphis winters are finicky like that). It’s damp and the fallen leaves lie decomposing on the lawn. You’d think being a January baby I’d enjoy winter, but it’s not just the weather outside that’s frightful.
Target is packed! Every sweet grandma within a 20-mile radius has come to my Superlo to gather ingredients for this year’s holiday feasts, jamming the aisles as they stop to socialize. My biweekly food subscription box has been stuck on a FedEx truck for three days! There are way too many drivers on the streets looking at their phones! Did they even notice they pulled out in front of me? And stay away from Poplar Avenue! As my colleague Toby Sells joked on Slack the other day, “That right lane needs a surgeon general’s warning.” That goes for all year, but even more so now. The town is full of elves scrambling to find gifts for everyone on their “nice” lists, and I just want to buy dog food! Bah, humbug!
I think that feeling hits for many of us this time of year. It’s counterintuitive to be out buzzing around when the sun sets at 5 p.m. and the temps dip near freezing. Our bodies want to rest and recover, hunker down and bundle up. But we’ve got to hurry! Christmas is just a few days away and heaven forbid Uncle Dan doesn’t get his gifted garden shears! If you click “buy now” it might make it to him in time! And then there’s that issue. This pressure to spend more money than you should on presents for people who love you whether you get them that gift card or not. As much as I love to see the holiday spirit alive in little ways — the lights, the yard Grinches and Santas — it pains me to know that these things trigger bad feelings, too. For those missing a spouse, parent, or pet; for those whose paychecks don’t allow the type of gift-giving they’d like to do; or those who will spend New Year’s alone longing for connection. So while you’re out spreading holiday cheer, remember it’s not so cheerful for everyone. Some are simply trying to get through.
Back to my rant above. I know I’m lucky to be able to buy my dogs’ food even if I have to fight through traffic and long lines to get it. I’m blessed to have loved ones to share the holidays with, even if some are spread across the states and all we can do is FaceTime. A phone call can be as good as a hug if it needs to be. I don’t even shop at Target very often, and my food box will arrive at some point. If it’s spoiled, oh well. The real elves — our USPS, UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and other delivery drivers — are busting their butts to ensure our many, many purchases make it to their destinations. If those gifts are late, guess what? Cousin Sue will still be delighted if her present lands in January.
Speaking of January, this “double issue” of the Memphis Flyer will be on stands for two weeks while our staff enjoys a holiday break. Our writers have shared their thoughts on 2024 — and projections for 2025. On a normal year, I’d have done a recap as well, but as regular readers know, this year was a bit of a flop for me, with more than half of it spent recovering from a broken foot and three surgeries. I’m on the other side of that now with minimal lingering discomfort. After a roller coaster of a year, here’s hoping we can all enter 2025 the same way. May “minimal lingering discomfort” be 2024’s swan song.
In the meantime, be kind, slow down, express gratitude, give yourself grace. We don’t have to do anything, really. We get to. Reminding ourselves of that when things become overwhelming can do wonders. For now, I’ll embrace the early golden hour that colors my chilly neighborhood walks, and the biting breeze that lets me know I’m alive and awake and all is well, however cold. I get to be here, with you and the migrating birds and the carolers and Scrooges. And that’s pretty darn cool. Wishing you all warmth and love this holiday season. See you here next year!