Dear Customers,
May “auld acquaintances be forgot” is a very popular song lyric this time of year. Understandably, most people don’t have a clue what it means. I particularly like Billy Crystal’s soliloquy in the movie, “When Harry Met Sally”. He ponders the question, “does that mean that we should forget old acquaintances? Or does it mean that if we happened to forget them, we should remember them – which is not possible because we already forgot them?
Actually, Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, penned this ditty in 1788, and it was meant to express themes of nostalgia, friendship and shared memories – all things which come to mind at the end of a year. The words, “auld lang syne” literally mean “old long since” or old times fondly remembered! It’s easy to become nostalgic as each year ends. We’re grateful for all the blessings and perhaps a little melancholy for all the opportunities missed or misplayed!
So, whether you celebrate big this New Year’s Eve or hit the sack at your normal time, Costa’s Supermarket will be open till 9pm Wednesday night. We do however, “truncate” our operating hours a little on the actual first day of the new year, Thursday, January 1st. We open from 8am – 6pm on the actual holiday because over the past 75 years we’ve found that whether you’re celebratory or not, nobody is anxious to roll out of bed too early to greet a new year. In a similar way, by 6pm, most of our customers have hunkered down in front the television for a bowl game or two.
And while Smethport doesn’t “roll up it’s sidewalks” this time of year, it’s a cinch that nobody’s out walking on them after dark. For that reason – on Friday, January 2nd, we will be switching over to our WINTER HOURS and closing an hour earlier at 8pm until warmer temperatures arrive or at least until spring – whichever comes last.