I was coming back from seeing my friend and whoops, the “check engine” light came on. I took it to the Auto Zone (in case you didn’t know, they do the same check for free that your mechanic does for $65) and the reading came back as a “cylinder 4 misfire.”

I called my mechanic of last resort, the one who does all the really big stuff, and asked him if it was safe to drive out to the burbs for Christmas. “Does it ‘chug chug chug’ when you turn it on?” he said. Nope, I said.

“Does it drive smoothly, or do you have to give it some extra gas?”

Now that you mention it, I said, it sort of feels a little draggy — like when you forget to release the hand brake.

“But it’s driving smoothly?” Yes, I said.

“Then I wouldn’t worry about it. Sounds like you just need a tune-up,” he said. “Merry Christmas!”

Merry Christmas, indeed.