'tis the season, or whatever

tonight i discovered that seattle park and rec puts on several annual holiday events in the area, and i just happened to be lucky enough to encounter world yulefest at the lake: 2006*. i guess the holiday spirit has struck the city...

i know it sounds nice to all of you. and parts of it were, i guess: the path around the lake was lined with glowing paper lanterns, giving the whole place a warm and friendly feel; families were spending nice quality time together, strolling beside the lake; the sounds and smells of this blessed season... it's all lovely, i get it.

but for me as a person trying to run and not seeking any holiday cheer, it was a different set of circumstances entirely. what it meant for me was that, in addition to the usual dimly lit pathways and tree roots peppering the trail, a whole new set of perils lingered before me. hordes of small children running and playing, dogs on and off leash, and random vendors selling holiday wares, hot chocolate and goodies, and the ever-popular jingle bell necklace and light-up rudolph nose, all freely crossed back and forth on the path before me, seemingly unaware that it is also used by people besides them. at one point i nearly toppled a mother pushing a stroller as they popped out from a bush beside the path. i bet that would have squelched her christmas spirit.

i have never seen that many people at the lake at one time. from families taking the kids on an outing to couples wandering arm in arm to the musicians playing holiday favorites on the marimba or the traditional christmas bagpipe, this was a night for everyone. i would confidently guess that there were more people here tonight than the entire population of j's island.

all of this made me want to run faster to get away from it--and because it felt like lots of people were watching me, wondering what the heck i was doing running past all of the festivities instead of stopping to enjoy them--yet it slowed me down as i tried not to hurt anyone.

i don't think that any of this really affected my feelings about the holidays one way or another. i guess it reminded me that they're coming, though it seems that they're approaching about as fast as i ran around the lake tonight, huffing and puffing, weaving around all kinds of obstacles and perils along the way. but i got here despite the odds--and by God, the holidays will too.

*the event name listed here may not be entirely accurate