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12/18/2011 11:00 PMMy favorite restaurant is re-opening. Finally.
It's frigid and blustery the night before the restaurant opens. I'm cuddled up watching a show about Tropical Storm Irene on the Weather Channel. Yes, I'm a geek for watching the Weather Channel, but this special report is hitting very close to home.
The show is about the devastation that Irene brought. As far as I'm concerned, we're still feeling Irene's wrath here on the shoreline. My favorite restaurant has been closed for months because of that nasty thing. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but in a way it is. It's familiar, my friends are there, and sometimes I simply need a good meal that I don't have to prepare myself. That means a lot.
I think about the owners and workers there who have dealt with months of struggle and uncertainty. Irene packed a wallop in September that still had people out of work even in December.
The next day I head to my favorite spot. I'm excited and happy. I miss the friends who worked there and the ones who gathered there. Summer seems like it was 10 million years ago. In many ways for a lot of us, it was.
I'll be honest: I get nervous between Thanksgiving and New Year's. I enjoy the Christmas season but breathe a big sigh of relief on Jan. 2. I don't mind the hustle and bustle, the gift-buying, or the insane crowds. I actually enjoy all of that. However, I've had too many bad experiences clustered in that six weeks between eating a big turkey dinner and sharing a New Year's kiss. I don't know why that's how it's happened over the years, but I know it's not just me. My family has had more than its fair share of holiday-time bad news and catastrophic occurrences. Of course, the nature of dealing in my family is to make a joke out of things, even the bad ones. Humor is the best and only way to deal. So, we've come to categorize the events that plague an otherwise healthy and happy holiday season as the workings of the "Gribbins Christmas Curse."
This year distressing news arrives on our collective doorstep right after Turkey Day. I won't say what it is, but suffice it to say it makes me thank my lucky stars for my own good health. I have a strong feeling that everything will be okay. However, the timing of the news is unfortunate. We'd all feel better if this news arrived at any other time of the year.
Yes, deep down I know everything will work out fine, but I'm definitely in need of some holiday cheer. The opening of my old haunt is just the thing.
At the restaurant people crowd around and admire the renovations. The place looks even better than it did before. Everything is polished, upgraded, and gorgeous. There's a smell of fresh varnish and new carpet.
I see people I haven't seen since there were green leaves on the trees and I was walking around in short sleeves and sandals. Outside it's frigid, but inside the temperature is as warm and cozy as the atmosphere. I've never given so many hugs in my life. I'm squealing like I've just sucked in a lungful of helium at the sight of my long-lost friends. I'm not the only one, though. Everyone is hugging, laughing, and letting out little shrieks of delight.
I can tell business at my favorite place is going to be better than ever. After the hurricane and in this economy, that's good news indeed. In the months to come, there won't be an empty seat in the house.
The holiday season can bring bad news like a lump of coal at the bottom of a stocking. So, I'm glad to be here with wonderful people, having a laugh and forgetting about everything for a while. For those few hours at least, all is right with the world.
Juliana Gribbins is a writer who believes that absurdity is the spice of life. Write to her at jeepgribbs@hotmail.com.