South Dakota and the holiday season

(Continued from a previous My Turn)

So I want to talk about the holiday season and South Dakota.

Yes, yes, I know. I was talking about the epic traffic jam in Chicago in my last My Turn. Trust me it was epic. I mean, I was fighting my way through the Mongolian-hordes-on-the steppes-of-Kazakhstan-in-the-armies-of-Oblai-Khan type of epic.

It was so epic, I can’t even encapsulate properly it in words.

So I decided to skip to South Dakota. Not that Wisconsin and Minnesota weren’t nice states. In fact, they were perfectly pleasant. They were so pleasant, I don’t feel the need to write about them.

But South Dakota, now there’s where things started to turn surreal.

I saw the first sign of South Dakota about 200 miles before I crossed the state line. I saw a sign on a side of a building proclaiming, “500 miles to Wall Drug.” I didn’t even know what Wall Drug was.

As I got closer to the state line, the signs started getting more prevalent. Until I reached Sioux City, S.D. and then I saw billboards proclaiming I reached the heart of the Wild West.

I can’t remember all of them, but it seems every town in the state has something to try and draw people off of the interstate. The Corn Palace, Deadwood and of course the ever present signs for Wall Drug.

Then there were the billboards saying I could stay at Motel 6, Holiday Inn, Best Western, etc., but not before I ate at McDonald’s, Denny’s, Perkins or Bob’s World Famous Ribs and Beans (OK, I made the last one up.)

Now, sometimes I think we confuse growing up with growing cynical because when I first started driving through South Dakota I was thinking, “Gee, this entire state is a tourist trap.” It seemed desperate and a bit sad.

But as I drove through the state, I started to realize I was thinking about this all wrong. These were people who were trying to do something, who were trying to build something amazing. Yes, it might be a little kitschy. Yes, I didn’t really want to stop, but it doesn’t mean it was necessarily bad.

In fact, it was fairly awe-inspiring.

Now what does this have to do with the holiday season?

Well, we often deride this time of year as being too commercial. It’s all about the hustle and bustle. No one really enjoys it.

But still, I think we confuse growing up with growing cynical. Imagine being 5 years old again and walking down the street seeing the lights. Imagine what it was like to see the presents sitting under the tree, waiting to be opened. Remember what this season was like before you had to worry about bills or kids or getting to work or seeing family?

Why can’t it be like that again? Sure this season is a bit kitschy. It’s filled with retailers who want your money and Christmas parties and dozens of things to stress you out.

But there’s so much that’s amazing going on. Even if it’s Christmas lights or decorated trees or Christmas carols playing on the speakers in Walmart.

Just smile and let yourself enjoy it.

I mean it only comes once a year. Why not try to make it awe-inspiring?

Cameron Probert is the Columbia Basin Herald county reporter. He appears to be shedding his youthful cynicism to see the glass half full.