The great let-down
Mom and I were just agreeing today how much of a let-down it is when Christmas has come and gone. I think our society is at least partly to blame. If they wouldn't start decking the halls and shelves on Oct. 31st at midnight, we might not become so enamoured with the countdown to Christmas, and we might not mourn so greatly its passing.
I sit here on the couch, in my new PJs that my sweet husband gave me, and I'm still enjoying the sweet sounds of carols coming from the stereo speakers. I look over at the tree....it still shines brightly, even though the gifts underneath look impoverished and bare compared to less than 24 hours ago. I can still smell evergreen in the air, as well as chocolate and candles. Christmas is still here. It will be here all week. It will be here all YEAR....for it is the true meaning of this day which is intended to last way beyond the month of December.
As I grow older, I am trying not to let it get me down when Christmas comes and goes. There is always spring to look forward to.... there is also St. Valentine's Day, a holiday which I am partial to just because I love the way pink and red go so weirdly, harmonously together (I think we've discussed this before). This current year ahead of us holds many new exciting changes, as well... another house, a new baby to complete our family. I welcome 2006!!
What I do enjoy, though, is the post-Christmas quiet that you feel all around you. New toys are put in prominent places on shelves, replacing toys which have fallen by the wayside over the past year (and which have been snuck into the attic for a future sibling's later amusement). There is an exhaustion like no other....ladies, who've slaved in the kitchen....men, who've chased kids all day....and of course, the kids....who've been running at 95mph all day without stopping, not even to eat more than a crumb or two. It's this sweet, simple silence that makes me smile. It's like a giant exhale.
And of course, it will all be back next year for us to enjoy once more, for us to get excited about and prepared for 2-1/2 months early.
Thank You, God, for such a blessed Christmas. I have everything I could ever hope for and dream of.....and I'm not talking about gifts unwrapped from under the tree.
I sit here on the couch, in my new PJs that my sweet husband gave me, and I'm still enjoying the sweet sounds of carols coming from the stereo speakers. I look over at the tree....it still shines brightly, even though the gifts underneath look impoverished and bare compared to less than 24 hours ago. I can still smell evergreen in the air, as well as chocolate and candles. Christmas is still here. It will be here all week. It will be here all YEAR....for it is the true meaning of this day which is intended to last way beyond the month of December.
As I grow older, I am trying not to let it get me down when Christmas comes and goes. There is always spring to look forward to.... there is also St. Valentine's Day, a holiday which I am partial to just because I love the way pink and red go so weirdly, harmonously together (I think we've discussed this before). This current year ahead of us holds many new exciting changes, as well... another house, a new baby to complete our family. I welcome 2006!!
What I do enjoy, though, is the post-Christmas quiet that you feel all around you. New toys are put in prominent places on shelves, replacing toys which have fallen by the wayside over the past year (and which have been snuck into the attic for a future sibling's later amusement). There is an exhaustion like no other....ladies, who've slaved in the kitchen....men, who've chased kids all day....and of course, the kids....who've been running at 95mph all day without stopping, not even to eat more than a crumb or two. It's this sweet, simple silence that makes me smile. It's like a giant exhale.
And of course, it will all be back next year for us to enjoy once more, for us to get excited about and prepared for 2-1/2 months early.
Thank You, God, for such a blessed Christmas. I have everything I could ever hope for and dream of.....and I'm not talking about gifts unwrapped from under the tree.
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