Merry Day After Christmas!

Today is known in much of the world as "Boxing Day." The origin of this name is obscure, but may have something to do with the fact that you are today faced with the task of getting rid of lots of empty boxes. It is also the day that people storm retail establishments in huge numbers to return or exchange non-functioning gifts, hideous sweaters, and other undesirable holiday detritus, and to take advantage of sales of Christmas wrap, cards, and decorations.

You need your head examined if you plan to do any of these things today.

The real purpose of Boxing Day, at least for those of us fortunate enough to have it free, is to recover from the trials and tribulations of Christmas Day, and to begin the process of memory editing that will allow us to remember only the happy things that happened while forgetting the parts of the day that may not have turned out as well as we might have hoped.

I plan to celebrate Boxing Day by doing nothing except watching old episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, eating leftovers, and reflecting on how fortunate I am to have a job to be off of for a day, a family I love, and a waistline that has suffered much over the last week or two.

Merry Day After Christmas! God bless us, every one!

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo