I hope everyone had a joyous and restful Christmas. Our house was full again, for the first time since 'Ribfest' in June. We had seen our son Nate and his wife Alicia and 'Mister B' in Pittsburgh, when we drove out for an early Christmas in the middle of December. Our daughter Elizabeth and her husband Eric arrived from Iowa City on the Friday before Christmas, bringing Buddha, their French Bulldog puppy. Annie flew in from New Jersey on Sunday, and we had Margaret and her husband Nathan and little Elijah over from Waterman several times, including on Christmas Day. So it was like a big house party, and we had a lot of fun. We went to breakfast at Egg Haven, the Eaton Family get-together at Uncle Jim and Aunt Beth's in Pecatonica on Christmas Eve, mass on Christmas Day, the girls went to the movies, we did all the things that make our holiday. Lots of good food and drink, and a lot of laughs.
Now we have New Year's Day to look forward to. That's a very different sort of holiday than Christmas, because it's more social and doesn't have the element of worship associated with it, although it is a Holy Day of Obligation. I've always liked New Year's because it means getting a fresh start, which sounds like an awful cliche but is in fact quite true. It seems like there are always a lot of things about myself that I'd like to change and do differently, and New Year's gives me the incentive to become a better person. With the exception of Elijah, who entered our lives in January, I wasn't much of a fan of 2012. I hope 2013 is a better year, for all of us.
One thing I'll definitely be doing on New Year's Day is watching the NIU Huskies football team play in the Orange Bowl. We live in DeKalb County, and NIU is only a few minutes away. People here are very excited about the Huskies crashing the BCS this year. There's a big 'chip on our shoulder' element to it, because so many of the media elite are contemptuous of the Huskies, and think they don't belong in a BCS bowl game. A local gas station had a sign posted telling ESPN to 'Suck Our Oranges!' I got to see a couple of games last season, with my sons-in-law, so I've become kind of a fan. It would be a great boost for the whole community if the team did well. Go Huskies!
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