Chingedy ching. Hee haw, hee haw!” Some years it starts as early as November. Right when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, when the leaves die, when the grass gets cold and hard, people begin to ask me, “Dominick? Like ‘Dominick the Donkey’? Have you ever heard the song?”

My name is Dominick, so of course I’ve heard the song. Whether I like it or not, the famous Italian-American Christmas carol has been my personal anthem my entire life. It seems satisfying especially for people who are relatively new in my life. Perhaps we’ve met a few months prior at an office event.