Did you know that a ton of stuff is closed on Christmas? I know, it’s news to me, too! It’s like people actually stay home and spend time with friends/family/pets instead of going out into the world. It’s like the entire population needs a rest after the consumerist orgy leading up to the date itself.

But enough sarcasm. I was driving around yesterday, getting together with friends for breakfast and a movie (don’t worry, the family got Christmas Eve), when I was struck at how empty everything seemed. Entire parking lots of shopping malls and big box stores were completely devoid of automobile or pedestrian traffic. Not just a small crowd, like you’d get at 2am on a work day, but completely and utterly empty. I think that may have been the first time I had seen all of those lots empty at the same time. To be honest, it looked post-apocalyptic; empty parking lots, offices locked up with the lots out, and no more than a handful of other cars driving on the roads.

I suppose this shouldn’t come as a surprise, though. But I’m so used to at least Walmart being open, that remembering that everything closes for Christmas can be tough. My girlfriend and I ran afoul of this a few years ago. We had both met up with our friends and their breakfast party, but by the time the movie got done we were ravenous. So we drove around, looking for something, anything that was open for lunch on Christmas day. Heck, even the Chinese restaurants were closed!

Finally, we ended up at Denny’s, and they served us food. And while I do feel sorry when people have to work on Christmas, I’m thankful that they do. That seemed to be about the only thing that was open: diners and movie theaters.

If this is disjointed, it’s because it’s well past my bedtime as I write this. I meant to do it earlier, but a little game called Rogue Legacy ended up stealing my day. Plus, my mind keeps wandiering to weird places, often with no anchor in reality.

So yeah, happy holidays. I may revisit this later, with more sleep, but now I must go.