Happy New Year to you too, Santa Claus!
Santa Claus has the right idea: visit people only once a year.
Victor Borge (Danish humorist and musician)
Santa finally gets some rest…
And we’re done for the year!…Ho Ho Ho!… It seems to hear him, Santa Claus, who has just taken off his work clothes and, after washing and laying them out to dry, he enjoys some well-deserved rest waiting for another season, while his reindeer quietly graze near him! That’s the scene that comes to mind when looking at this shot, even if there is something that makes it different and current.
Bye bye, 2021…
Let’s be honest then: we all couldn’t wait for 2021 to come to an end! And, even more than 2020, we hope will take away this veil of sadness, distress, and fear that has surrounded us these past two years. Rereading the post published almost a year ago (Mala Tempora Currunt… Reports From Quarantine), I realize how much the feelings of this 2021 have been very different from those we experienced in 2020. Perhaps not different in their general meaning (fear is always fear…), but different in intensity and their influence on our daily lives, thanks (I suppose) to the increased awareness we have gained from the year before, regarding the management of this pandemic.
…hoping for a better Year
So happy 2022 to everyone! May it be a year of rebirth, hope, restart, and healthy. We must think positively, although the health situation is still very critical. We hope we can finally get rid of this burden that prevents us from behaving spontaneously every day, and that we can finally physically meet again on all those occasions of leisure, fun, and life that we miss so much.
The shot
This shot caught my eye before I even thought about it. It is the sign of these times, and a sign of hope for the future. Surely a Santa costume hanging to dry is not a great news, but what makes it more actual is just that extra element I mentioned at the beginning, apparently an intruder in the usual costume, but never before as this year as a symbol of our times: the mask (please note the style of this Santa Claus with a mask that matches his suit!). And obviously Santa Claus too, this year, to be able to work, he had to use it to avoid infection and to be able to go around safely and in good standing.
Not giving up our traditions and the most jovial moments of our life gives us hope also for our future, being sure that whatever happens, we will face it in the best possible way, also by making them become “normal” objects that only a few years ago we would never have thought to use so spontaneously.
More pictures available on my Photo gallery.
Technical details: Follonica (GR), Aloha Beach, 02 Gennaio 2022, 11:51
Nikon D700 + Nikkor 24-120mm 1:4 G ED VR @ 66mm f/11 – 1/250 sec. ISO 800
