Shop closed signs were common during lockdown. Photo / File
Shop closed signs were common during lockdown. Photo / File
OPINION
Well, its that time of year again. The Silly Season. It has taken forever to arrive this year for small children waiting for the big guy in the red suit.
As an old fogey it seems like yesterday I was sitting in the sun with family having Christmas dinner.
All our miss three-year-old can think of at the moment, when not playing with her new baby sister, is Father Christmas.
The tree has been up for weeks, her poor mum giving in and allowing her to "help" decorate it.
Video calls have stepped up in frequency, requested by herself just to make sure Granny and Poppa do not forget that they are coming for Christmas and that Father Christmas has got her e-mail and will be calling.
I assume and hope that this is echoed all around our country.
It has been a challenging year for many so it is nice to be able to think about happy events for a change.
Whilst New Zealand has been very lucky to escape the ravages of Covid-19 seen elsewhere in the world it has been tough trying to keep safe.
Many lives have been changed, perhaps permanently.
People now deciding that working from home is preferable to the daily commute in maddening traffic every day to sit at a work station in a shared work space with others who, while work colleagues, may not be friends or even friendly.
Some, like myself, have become used to self-isolation due to health issues and find this quite amenable thank you.
We have to remember to go out, see friends, socialise, it's healthy for us mentally to be with others and to laugh and talk.
We are seeing the dying embers of what has been a tumultuous reign of ignorance and narcissism in the US.
As of writing President Trump is still defying being unseated and frantically looking for ways to upset the clear majority President-elect Biden has.
It is perplexing and worrying watching from a distance a world power apparently falling apart.
Despite personal opinions one may hold about US policy it is a great power and has been, until recent times, a highly-respected world leader.
Trump is not the cause of many of the issues facing Americans today but he has capitalised on these matters to further divide the nation for his own ends.
He will leave the White House on or just before Inauguration Day on January 20, 2021, either under his own steam or with the help of others.
He may possibly continue to attempt further mischief-making behaviour after Biden takes office. Trump does not accept loss or weakness and refuses to understand the democratic process.
To be fair to him, a hefty percentage of the voting American public voted Republican and he increased his vote significantly compared to 2016. Somehow he thinks that means he won the election.
The last four years have shown just how fragile the oldest democracy in the world is.
Could there be enough sane heads across party political lines to be able to coldly review a Constitution written nearly 300 years ago by imperfect, self-interested men, mainly slave-owners, all white and rich. I doubt it.
Rob Rattenbury
America will continue to move along in its usual way, having the occasional ups and downs seen from its history. Can the federation of states remain unified? Maybe not.
There is a clear geographic divide in the US now between the Blue States and the Red States, blue mainly on the coastal areas and red inland.
One reads the occasional article about possible secession moves by some states so it is in the front of the minds of many Americans.
When we watch the political shenanigans and comment on the behaviour of American politicians we must remember that Americans are just people, like us.
They have the same worries about money, housing, health, the future of their children and employment.
They are over-whelmingly good, law-abiding people just getting on with their lives. We only see the radical edges of American society, both left and right, in the news. We should not judge a whole people on the actions of few.
This year is slowly coming to an end.
I, like many, will be glad to see it go and, hopefully, 2021 will bring an effective vaccine or two to our shores and the country will start slowly to open up safely to the world again.
In the meantime we all have food to buy, presents to wrap, Christmas functions to enjoy and memories to make with our loved ones, friends and neighbours.
Some will be having the staycation but many will be doing that most Kiwi of Christmas activities, hitting the beaches, the barbies and the shops.
Let's put 2020 behind us. Merry Christmas to you all.
