Everyone, family and friends, have their holiday traditions. Some are extravagant, some steeped in generations of tradition. Some are new and small and some are silly and ridiculous. But we all hold onto some sort or sense of tradition that makes the holiday season so special. My immediate family has a traditional Christmas Day but nothing too out of the extraordinary. And in this especially important holiday season, it is important to hold onto what we can as we endure a year, hopefully, like none other.

I have a holiday season Friend tradition. It is the annual holiday Joe Jost bus trip. Many of my readers will know of this establishment but for those of you not living in Southern California, allow me to introduce you to the oldest of the old school West Coast spots. Established in 1924 by Hungarian immigrant Joe Jost, Jost is an old, old school space. Rye Bread sandwiches mixed in with pickled eggs and In-house steamed peanuts dot the menu. Only beer, no liquor or wine, Jost has been home to generations of Ham n’ Eggers, family lunches, beer bashes, fraternity/sorority mixers and just about anything else you can think of. You can be wearing a Joe Jost t-shirt in Dallas, Texas and someone will tell you that’s their favorite spot. One of the oldest locations west of the Mississippi, Joe Jost is also host to my favorite friend tradition, the annual bus trip.

Sixteen years ago, the late great, Mickey McColgan, his best friend, Fireman Mike and a naive, hopeful young actor, Sam Vance started a tradition without realizing they had. Mickey was a World War II vet and a man’s man. They drove, the three of them to Joe Jost’s in Long Beach, as it was one of Mickey’s favorite spots. From those humble origins, has grown a bus trip that now includes 25-50 individuals and numerous stops. Usually, the group meets at a local South Bay watering hole (previous starters include, Hennessey’s, Charlie’s and the Hermosa Saloon). After the arrival of the bus, the first stop of the day is The Thirsty Club on Aviation in Redondo Beach.

Now, the Thirsty Club is not for the meek of heart but if you get their early enough, you can handle it. Generally we spend an hour their, playing pool, reconnecting with friends we haven’t seen for a minute and getting into the holiday spirit. After this brief sojourn, we hop back onto the bus and head to our Mecca, Joe Jost.

Entering the front part of Joe Jost is like stepping into a time capsule. Old style benches from the original opening with old time regulars who look as old as the establishment. When we enter, we order Schooner’s of Beer and ‘The Special’ (the Joe Jost sandwich), along with numerous shirts, hats and other items to last throughout the year.

The backroom is built like the average, middle-aged male’s dream. Pool tables and one dandy, famous old shuffleboard table with bumpers and rules that only seem indigenous to Joe Jost. The original Peanut steaming mechanism rattles near the front of the back room, creating a tasty snack. We spend a couple of hours in the back room, regaling the room with heroic tales of past Joe Jost excursions (how Chuck and Masud still have never lost on the shuffleboard table) and cheers to members, such as Mickey, who have passed away, and tell tales of their history. It is an annual event and one I look forward to, every year.

Sadly, it’s nearly impossible to maintain space at Joe Jost for too long and the day must continue. Those who are still standing, hop back onto the bus and head to The Crest, owned by my dear friends, Jason Rath and Shane McColgan, son of the founder of the trip, Mickey. As I wrote in last week’s blog, The Crest is a terrific spot and the perfect stop after Joe Jost. After hours of beer and shenanigans, The Crest fills us with their pizzas and other bar foods. They also have pool tables and many a spirited game has occurred there.

The Crest is sometimes the end of the road for many of the participants of the Jost Bus Trip but for those still game, we take one last bus trip and that destination is The Hangar in Manhattan Beach. Owners, Harold Kinsley and Dean Moss, are always gracious enough to let us finish our long day at The Hangar and quite often, they are participants on the trip. You might recognize Harold as the handsome devil playing pool in one of the pictures.

And that draws to a conclusion, one of the longest, yet, most fun days of the year. To my sadness, that event will not occur in 2020 as COVID has dominated all of our lives. I know, there are WAY more tragic incidents to have come from this year of tragedies and I would in no way place missing out on this day in accordance with any tragedy. But it does make me sad that I will not have this holiday tradition this year with my friends. People who congregate once a year and share a laugh, a drink and a touch of Christmas cheer. People from all walks of life, socio-economic backgrounds and any other category one can think of. It’s a day of laughter and fun and boy, could we all use some of that these days. Maybe the bus trip will be in February of 2021 or March. We’ll find Christmas in our hearts again in another part of the season. Why shouldn’t we? And thank you, Mickey McColgan, for starting one of my favorite traditions.