My Unbearable Politeness of Being
It’s the same dilemma
every year, I find,
upon meeting a person
for the first time,
for how long
does wishing them
a Happy New Year
remain de rigueur?
Perhaps I blow things
out of proportion
but I tend to err
on the side of caution
so I’ve always
Happy New Year-ed
until October the Third.
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On the 7th of Jan I was writing to the managers of my Dutch sports club, offering them an office chair for free.
“Dear managers,
I have an office chair I would like to give you for free….”
and the reply was
Dear Michel
First of all, best wishes and good health for 2026. That’s just how we do things in the Netherlands – we always start with that.
Thank you for thinking of us….
That’s you told!