My luck may have just been changed forever. This past Monday was The Workplace Christmas Party. It’s held annually and I have attended annually since I’ve been employed by The Workplace. My good friend, once colleague, and now boss has also attended every year since he has been employed which is a few years longer than I. Now if you’re an avid reader, or close friend you know that Luck looks down upon me and laughs horrifically in my face whilst mocking me and punching me every so painfully in the jaw with it’s left hook. But I’ve learned to live with Luck (or lack there of) treating me that way. Said friend (who will now be reffered to as The Luckster) apparently enjoys kissing serious Luck booty along with stealing Luck’s horseshoes and cramming them up his butt. The Luckster has won everything from big cash, to printers, to Stillers tickets. Every single flippin’ Christmas party held by The Workplace he has attended, he has won a gift. Me on the other hand . . . ha ha! Dream on!

So here’s how it went down. When an employee walked into the party room he/she randomly picked a little slip of paper out of a basket that contained a Christmas word or phrase. At the end of the evening, 10 or so Christmas slips were called and the keepers of said slips were awarded prizes. My slip read, “Merry Christmas.” “Yeah merry flippin’ Christmas indeed you big loser,” I thought to myself. So knowing The Luckster’s luck (and mine) I offered a trade of Christmas slips with him. Now he was very well aware of my relationship with Luck and its left hook and still grinningly accepted my offer. I ironically took over his “Wise Men” slip and he took my “Merry Christmas” slip (now I am not lying about the phrases on these slips my friends. This only makes my story that much more entertaining). Now we both were thinking the same thing at the time of the exchange; that The Luckster was once again going to win a prize this year but it would be with the slip I had just traded him.

So the end of the night drew near and after a long, oh so very long “Entertainment” of listening to high school kids sing Christmas carols, it was prize give-a-way time! I wasn’t really optimistic about winning anything as I am a realist but I was just waiting for The Luckster to get his call. One prize was left; the grand prize. The Slip Reader read the very last phrase and to my utter amazement he uttered the words, “wise men.” For the first couple seconds I was in shock. It was like the dream I had never had. I had won! I actually won!! Ironically I deemed to be the “wiser man” and gave Luck the beat down of the century by making the trade of the millennium! Merry Christmas indeed to The Luckster! We all got a big laugh as I tour off the rapping paper of my huge box and gazed upon my brand spankin’ new 20” TV/DVD/VCR/USB combo. Oh it was sheer and total bliss! Ahhh I can still relish in it now as I type.

The drive home I couldn’t help but think what had just happened earlier that evening. Had I changed the course of my life forever with the swap of a mere piece of paper? What if it wasn’t just an evening’s luck that I had traded but a whole lifetime’s? It was like I was in that movie with Lindsay Lohan (don’t I wish!) where she kissed some dude and their luck got swapped, only my kiss wasn’t a kiss (thank goodness) at all, but a simple slip of paper. Now I can only wait and see what Luck will do for me. Was it truly just a night’s exchange or has the whole balance of the cosmos suddenly been shifted in my favor? Only time will tell. Until then I do believe this shall be recorded as this year’s first official Solstivus Miracle, “The Exchanging of the Luck!” Once it’s past by the Founding Fathers of course.