PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR AND HAPPINESS
So last night, I go off to get some Chinese food on the way someplace, just something quick to tide me over until I can get home (not that I can cook anything at home, but that's a whole nother story), and I stop into this place, and it's one of those places where you can see right into the kitchen, and there's these four Chinese guys, absolutely sweltering and melting in the heat (it was mid-90's outside, so I can't imagine what it was like in there. Actually that's not true. I've done that gig in stupid-hot summers like this before, and it's about as fun as you'd think.) But these four guys, who I can't see knowing a ton of English, maybe enough to get by in New York City, so not much, were singing together at the top of their lungs:

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Próspero Año y Felicidad.
The woman working the counter was yelling at them. "Shut Up! It's not Christmas! Don't you idiots know anything! It's too hot for Christmas! It's August! Stop singing!"

Which, of course, only spurred them on.

Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Feliz Navidad
Próspero Año y Felicidad.
There was one person in front of me. I doubt they knew what the words meant. I didn't know myself what that fourth line was. I had to look it up.

I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas
From the bottom of my heart
So I got to the counter, and the poor girl looked just miserable. So I did what anyone would have done. I ordered my little box of broccoli and eggplant in garlic sauce or whatever it was, and I paid, and she thanked me, and I wished her, pretty loudly, a Very Merry Christmas!

And the boys in the back all cheered, and the girl looked at me through her bangs, and said, trying very hard not to laugh herself, "Um, you're not helping."