“Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose . . . dada dum, dada dum…”
Yeah, that’s about all I know of that Christmas carol. Like most carols, I usually give up on the words and end up humming along somewhere between the second and third line.
I am just as bad with names as I am with lyrics, which can have its drawbacks in the news business. Sometimes mistakes are the result of incorrect information passed from hand-to-hand until it gets into print but at other times they’re the unfortunate by-product of a random brain seizure.
In one recent article, I mis-wrote Craig Cunningham for Craig Martin, partly because they share the same first name and partly because, sometimes, you just make dumb mistakes.
In another instance, I mixed up Nitehawk Jake Boyczuk and Special Olympian James Potter, each for the other, even though I knew who was who.
Just ask Smoke Eaters’ goalie Lyndon Stanwood (not Stanwell) and especially Senior Games tennis player John Cheney whose name I utterly emasculated, by calling him by his partner’s name, Jean Ashworth.
I am certain there are others but those are just a sample of the most egregious.
In any case, I do apologize.
So Santa, as part of my Christmas wish list, in the New Year I’d like to get all the names correct, the places and dates accurate, and to even learn the full lyrics to at least one Christmas jingle.
I know, it’s probably not going to happen but that’s what wishing is for, to reach for the ungraspable, dream the impossible, etc.
So on to my next wish. A happy 30th birthday wish to the Beaver Valley Nitehawks. I can’t make the alumni game but it should be lots of fun, with a series of games going Friday. The festivities start at 6 p.m. at the Beaver Valley Arena with some exceptional talent lacing them up and all residents welcome.
As for the Trail Smoke Eaters, I wish them good health and modest success in the second half.
If the team can win even 10 of their final 30 games, it would be a step in the right direction.
The Smokies have suffered debilitating injuries to key players; let’s hope those injured get well soon and the New Year sees fewer casualties.
Despite their record, the Smokies have provided entertaining hockey and with a few more bounces and a few less lapses, should enjoy a few more wins.
For the Nitehawks, who are flying high, I wish a dose of humility, to go along with a Keystone Cup.
Admittedly, in the rarefied air of a lengthy winning streak, it’s easy to become complacent. You start believing you can’t lose, until a woeful team like Grand Forks comes along with a reality check right through the boards. Players try to pad their stats and start thinking and playing as individuals and not as a team.
The Hawks have great talent and coaching, and should be in the running for the championship, that is if they don’t succumb to selfish play and self-destruct in the KIJHL playoffs.
And finally, in a city like Trail whose legacy revolves around sports, I still wish more people would come out and support their local teams and events like the AM Ford Fight Nights and Kootenay Chrysler Bull-A-Rama.
Looking forward to the upcoming year, Greater Trail is hosting those same events, as well as many others. On tap are the the free-skiing championships at Red, the Bantam hockey ‘AA’ provincials, Little-League baseball provincials, possibly the Men’s baseball B.C. Championships and the NorAms at Black Jack, just to name a few.
Come out, show your support and keep the legacy of champions going.
Most of all, I wish a very Merry Christmas and a successful and healthy New Year to all.
In the words of Tiny Tom . . . oops I mean Tiny Tim: “God bless us everyone.”