Never mind “in like a lion out like a lamb”, this year came in like a diseased house cat and it’s going out like a differently diseased house cat that people are too fed up to deal with and can’t afford the medicine for anyway. And yet, there is hope. Children’s vaccines are now being made widely available so that 5-11 year olds can get a much-needed layer of protection and their parents can get a much-needed unclench of their butt cheeks for the first time in 2 years. Gatherings have begun again, so that we can see long lost family members and, perhaps more importantly, get a little “away time” from the family members we’ve been imprisoned with (my wife’s words, not mine). And, at least in our house, the “Elf on the Shelf” (actually 2 of them so, “Elves on Shelves”) has made a triumphant return, effectively serving as both wholesome harbinger of the holidays and surreptitious surveillor for Santa.
