Holidays

So far this has been an extremely laid back holiday. Even the plane rides have been full but calm.

On my way back to San Diego from Houston today the flight was absolutely packed. But for some reason most everyone on the plane seemed extraordinarily calm, even the very small children.

Is it possibly the food coma as we all return from too much food and too many leftovers? Or is everyone too tired from dealing with family and gatherings to cause much ruckus in cramped quarters?

I’m betting against some communal holiday spirit that is made everyone so incredibly pacified as they entered the “very full” flight (I’m not sure how a flight can be “very full” instead of just “full” but they insist on calling it that in every one I’ve been on). Thinking back there weren’t many happy faces around. More along the lines of completely unaware of their surroundings, as if their minds were on a faraway place that had no bearing on the now very familiar terminal.

There was one notable exception to the quiet reverence of my fellow passengers today. One man that I saw stopped the fluid line of boarding passengers to insist that the flight crew keep him up to date on the major football game that was going on. I have a hard time believing anyone would do this for a serious event like the results of an election, a war or American Idol. But to this man, keeping absolutely in the know about the score of the game was more important than allowing people to keep boarding or to allow people to sleep through the evening flight without interruption.

The flight crew did their best to keep him happy, including scores in their regular announcements in the just over three hour flight. Each time the San Diego team was in the lead there were some claps from a few predictable seats. But most of the passengers had the same “why are they doing this?” look that I’m sure my face had.

Overall, I think it was an unwanted alteration from the normal routine of flying I’ve come to expect. It may be my own apathy as I enter the process each time but the whole experience of flying seems to be easier to deal with if it is totally unremarkable, ordinary and routine.

So instead of the clapping football fans I’m choosing to remember the bulk of the people who sat in silence as we headed home from the holiday. And I’m going to imagine that they were all thinking about mundane things like going back to work or chores that needed to be done back home. Because for some reason that’s easier to deal with anything more interesting. Maybe after my own holiday is over I’ll be able to better consider, or work up a fluster, about some single minded sports fans.