Our Christmas schedule is typically quite busy, but it is the kind of busy that I just love — full of family, friends and festivities aglow by strings of multicolored lights. It seems that each holiday season has its herald, and this year it was a Christmas cookie baking party at a friend's house.

Surprisingly, we arrived on time, a rarity for the DeMattos clan, especially if I am driving. Our host met us at the door and we chitchatted for a few minutes before he noticed that I needed to move my car.

He suggested that I pull right into the garage and take one of the two coveted stalls. I am used to being late and left with the parking dregs, so this was a real treat. Tickled to be first in line for a change, I ran outside to reverse into my space.

I heard the crunch of metal and the crash of glass before I felt the car strain against the immovable object. I thought I had a straight shot into the garage, but out of my sightline stood a 4-by-4 support post that I missed visually but found perfectly with my right-rear bumper and quarter panel.

I stood outside my car and stared at my vehicle's rear end trying to figure out what had just happened. It did not take long to conclude that this was the classic accident.

The gray 4-by-4 post stood perfectly aligned with the gray rear beam of my SUV. I never saw the post and even if I had, I am not sure I would have recognized it as a post and not the inside of my own vehicle.

After inspecting my car, I then made a check of myself.

No broken bones.

No blood.

I was fine.

No, I was better than fine. I was in good spirits despite the accident and that, I thought, was odd.

I think if the circumstances were different — if I were late to a meeting or on my way to the bank — I would have been furious.

Like most folks in the 21st century, I always seem to have somewhere to go and something to do. It is the kind of busy I do not like, and it is enough to drive you nuts. But not this time. More appropriately, not this time of year.

So I did what any Christmas reveler would do: I marched downstairs, grabbed a glass of eggnog and helped my buddy start the barbecue while my daughter and her friends cut gingerbread men out of rolled out dough.

Now, do not get me wrong. I am not happy about forking out the money for the repair, and large expenditures are never welcome during the holiday season, but what can you do?

It was an accident — and it happened.

I would like to believe that I would have handled the accident with good grace no matter when the time of year, but that would be a lie.

The truth is, the season did make a difference. While I may not be seeing the world through rose-colored lenses, I am seeing it against a backdrop of multicolored lights, and that is a whole lot better than the harsh spotlight of my day-to-day world.

Michael C. DeMattos is a member of the faculty of the University of Hawai'i School of Social Work. He lives in Kane'ohe with his wife, daughter, two dogs and two mice.