I saw the Grinch of Christmas today.

As most of you know, or may not know, where I live, we have street sweeping on Thursdays and therefore there is a no parking sign for the hours between 8 and 10 am. What you also may know, or may not know, is that one of my vehicles does not fit in my parking garage, so I am forced to park it outside on the street. Usually on Wednesdays I make sure I find a parking spot that is not restricted for Thursdays and then on Thursday morning I move my car to it usual location.

Well, as you should know, today is Thursday and also the day of Christmas Eve. Well, I was not sure if parking enforcement would be active or not. Typically, on holidays they are not "enforcing" such silly parking restrictions. I have the day off today, as do many as well; e.g., my father has the day off, while my mother does not, and both work for governmental agencies. As such, I was not very sure about the parking situation.

I had not moved my car to a non-Thursday parking location so to not lose my convenient spot if in fact the parking restriction wasn't going to be enforced. My plan was to wake up early and see how things went. If I had to move the car, then so be it, if not, then I'd go back to sleep. So I get up around 7:20-ish and complete my morning chores. Then got out to my truck and sat in it. I did notice that most other neighbors had moved their cars, and at this time our street was almost empty; minus a couple of cars including mine. As I'm in the car I notice a "parking enforcement" jeep drive by. So, obviously, they are out on duty. So I decided to go look for parking elsewhere, but by this time, most of the non-Thursday parking spots are taken; actually all near by ones. So I ended up going to a local pharmacy parking lot and parked there and started to read something I had brought with me, anticipating such a situation; I had about two hours to kill.

As I'm reading I notice this mean, ugly, wretched woman crawl by on the street in her white jeep. Going from parked car to parked car, and leaving each a present; a yellow note .. perhaps a holiday check? Of course, in a negative amount. Yes, she was the Grinch of Christmas. Making her rounds, leaving each person a little something for tonight/tomorrow morning, in her "parking enforcement" sleigh.

I wonder how a person feels like after such a day's work. Does she go home proud and with a sense of self-fulfillment and accomplishment? Does she go home, cheerful, looking forward to Christmas and continue happily wrapping the last of her Christmas gifts? Does she continue on cheerfully preparing Christmas meal? Does she give a second thought about all those people, who mistakenly thought because it is the day of Christmas Eve they could leave their cars where they typically would avoid? There were more than the usual number of cars parked on the restricted side of the street today.

Anyway, I hope you were not one who got a visit from this horrible Grinch.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and Happy Holidays! (2009)