A once-popular song that Bing Crosby sang in the movie, "Holiday Inn" has the words, "what are you doing New Year's, New Year's Eve?" Later on the lyrics say, "let's start the New Year right with a fond goodnight."

The movie takes place in a resort in northern New England that was open to celebrate the holidays and there was much tension whether there would be enough snow to entice the Christmas and New Year's crowd to the inn. Of course, as in most of Bing Crosby's movies it all turned out just fine. The snows came, the people came by the trainload, and Bing got the girl. Fred Astaire also danced through the movie and as I remember it he didn't get the girl. I might be wrong because my focus was always on Bing even though I enjoyed Fred Astaire's dancing and singing.

Several things about that movie come to my mind as I think about our entry into 2006.

First, I loved it when movies had one main theme and the characters were all tied into that theme and you got to know each character well enough to really care whether it all came out all right in the end. They didn't all look alike either. No one would mistake Bing Crosby for Fred Astaire. In many of the movies today all the good looking young men look enough alike that I get mixed up on who is the good guy and who the bad guy is.

Another thing I liked about that old movie was that the women had their hair combed and out of their eyes. (Oh well there was Veronica Lake with the long hair over her face, but she wasn't in this movie.) Some of the stars today look like I do when I just get out of bed, except that there doesn't seem to be any gray hairs in most of the women today. Even those who are middle age plus, and probably do have gray hair, don't let the gray show.

But the most nostalgic thing about the movie was that the vacationers thronged to the resort in trains. There was no worry about slippery roads to drive or delayed plane schedules. They just got on the train and chugged their way north and enjoyed the ride.

When my parents were married they could even get on the train in Ellis about a quarter mile from our grandparent's house where they lived the first two years of their marriage. Mama could take a trip back to see her parents in northern Missouri by herself, or later with some of the children.

As we enter into 2006 we hear that Missouri's roads are rated as the worst in the nation. The gas prices make us think twice about driving long distances. The weather has been unusual during 2005 so we aren't sure what driving conditions might be in a few days when it is time to come back home from our visit or holiday. And going through the security measures at airports can be a real nightmare for some people.

Maybe in our progress we did away with one of the best things that made economic and comfort sense. When I hear the clock strike 12 on New Year's Eve I would be happy if I could also hear a train going by on the nearby Katy Railroad track.

Did you notice how many Christmas and Holiday specials involved trains? Maybe I'm not the only middle age plus person who misses the sound of a train chugging by. For now, however, I can just wish you a trouble-free 2006 with smooth rides, however you travel.