Good days, bad days? New calendar can repeat old calendar's mistakes

"After the game, the King and the pawn go into the same box."

– Italian proverb

This final month of the year means many things.

Gifts, shopping, Santa, fruitcake … and calendars.

Yep, time to prepare for 2022.

That's why across our land of time- and schedule-challenged citizens, Americans will look for the simplest (and easiest to mail) of gifts – that numerical collection of 365 days packaged in 12 sections.

Calendars often present beautiful photos of dogs, puppies, horses, nature scenes, sports teams, power tools, cars, mountains, beaches, music groups, etc.

My family has even developed calendar traditions.

My wife and I always give my mother a calendar featuring little white dogs – West Highland Terriers.

These she has long honored with a prominent placement on a wall in her guest bathroom.

My mother always gives her youngest child, my brother, a calendar featuring horses. I know because she has asked me to pick one out for her when I'm looking for the one with the dogs.

I am tempted to get him one featuring Shetland ponies or small donkeys, but she would not be pleased.

My sister will give my mother one featuring birds, while another sister sends one that shows flowers. Both share opposite walls in the kitchen.

Generally, my mother's calendars will end up marked with the birthdays of children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren, which assures no birthday will go unnoticed.

Calendars are useful because they are generally within every shopper's budget.

But they are not all that necessary.

I pointed this out to my mother, when she asked me what sort of calendar I would like for the coming year.

"Already got one," I told her. "It's one I got in 1994."

When she looked at me oddly, I matter-of-factly explained that 1994 and 2022 share the same days.

That's the trick of calendars. They repeat.

If you're interested, 2022 is also the same as 2011, 2005, 1983, 1977, 1966 and on back to 1921.

"I just save the old ones," I told her, "and 1994 featured some cool old baseball photos."

She shakes her head, although after almost seven decades, she is used to the eccentricities of her oldest child, who smiles back at her.

"By the way," I say, "Your birthday will be on a Wednesday next year."

Bill Kirby has reported, photographed and commented on life in Augusta and Georgia for 45 years.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Kirby: Start looking ahead to find a calendar for the new year