To all the Scrooges out there — stop being cranky!
To all the Grinches out there — take five from your grumpiness!
To all those smarty old snooties with their beaks in the air (and you know who you are, you who are too high and mighty to enjoy a little goodwill and peace) smile some, you’ll feel better. It’s time folks just lighten up. With my very own fair-to-middlin?-sized ears, I’ve heard too many folks complain:
‘They’re playing Christmas music already . . .?
‘I can’t stand it. As soon as Halloween is over they’re putting up Christmas decorations in the stores.?
‘I hate Christmas commercials!?
I am here to testify, brothers and sisters, that I like all the hustle and bustle. The earlier the better. Can I get an amen? Hallelujah, praise the Lord!
I’ve been reborn in this sense. I used to get up on my soapbox, moan and groan about the evil of it all. But, now I have seen the light. Call me kooky, but I like the idea of Christmas. The celebrated day of Jesus? birth — whether you believe or not — has the potential to bring out the best in all. I’ve put aside the commercialism of Christmas. Now, I view television
commercials selling their products with a smile. It is a nice sentiment to see somebody giving a gift to another, even if they are all actors getting paid for the gig.
I’m one of those saps who couldn’t wait for the all Christmas, all the time radio stations to start up again. For most of the year I listen exclusively to WJR and WXYT on my car radio’s AM dial. These days, I’ll change to FM for doses of Christmas music. In my office, I hook up to one of the internet Christmas music providers. Soon, I’ll dust off my own collection of Christmas compact discs and start playing them.
The gift of Christmas is it spreads sunshine even in our darkest hours. Elvis once sang a song, ‘wishing every day was like Christmas.? I think it would be a nicer world, were it so.
So, open up your heart and warm up to the season (if you don’t it’ll just be as cold inside as it is out).
* * *
Speaking of Christmas at the end of this column there’s an early gift for somebody — actually several somebodies.
This past weekend I went to the Michigan Lottery website to see if some slips of paper I had purchased were worth anything. I don’t gamble much, money is too hard to come by. But once in a while I’ll throw in a dollar or two, because, well, it’s for the children. Right? And, if it’s for the children, even gambling on our children’s education is okay. Isn’t it?
At any rate I went to the archived section of past winning lottery numbers. My three tickets from the last three months earned me no extra income. But I was able to find out that in the past year four winning lottery tickets were purchased locally — and not redeemed. That means there’s $67,216 in prize money just collecting dust.
I don’t know about you, but a few extra big ones in the old bank account right about now would be nice .
Here’s the info:
n On Feb. 5, 2003 a Winfall ticket was purchased at Clark Gas Station #2150 in Clarkston. The ticket matched five of the six numbers, 1-7-9-32-40-45. That ticket is worth $18,523.
n On that same day at the Dixie Party Store on Dixie Highway in Clarkston another Winfall ticket was purchased. That ticket also matched five of the six numbers and is also worth $18,523.
n On Feb. 12, 2003, at Wright’s Corner Market in Lakeville a Winfall ticket was purchased that matched five of the six numbers, 3-9-20-28-30-33. That piece of paper is worth $16,992.
n On June 2, 2003 a Michigan Roll Down ticket was purchased at Kroger #620 in Clarkston, matching all five numbers, 19-22-26-27-28. That ticket is worth $13,178.
(I am noticing a pattern: Three of the four local unclaimed prizes were from the Clarkston area. I guess Clarkston-folk must have so much money they just like buying tickets, contributing to the state’s education system and not collecting their winnings. If you don’t want the money, you can give me your winning ticket. I promise to do good with it. Just mail it to the office here.)
You only have a year from the drawing date to claim your prize. If you have a winning ticket call the Lottery Public Relations office at 517-335-5640. And, then give us a call. It’d be a good story.
Comments for Don can be e-mailed to: dontrushmedon@aol.com