Coming Down Off After Christmas...

It's a little like coming down off of a high of a drug, or I imagine it as such. I wake up the day after Christmas and look at my tree. A bit of a sadness enters my heart, as I realize that Christmas is done and over with. Now I need to see about taking down the Christmas tree; along with all the rest of my Christmas decorations. It's deflating, and I all ready miss Christmas.

I guess part of this "deflating" feeling is that the whole of Christmas season (that started barely the day after Halloween) is building in anticipation to one day. All of this worrying about selection of gifts, purchasing or making of gifts, then the worrying of delivering said gifts. It gets some of us rushing to the point of not knowing what end is up, then BOOM! The day is here and within under an hour, all of those presents are opened up, and the day seems over. Its unfair that all of this preparation goes into one day.

Another part of this sadness, is that after I take down all of those Christmas decorations my apartment is going to feel barren. I traditionally take down my Christmas decorations the first weekend of January. Though, one year I left it up until almost Valentine's Day. Some neighbors really thought I was strange that year. (They even thought they might have to have a Christmas decoration intervention for me.) It's strange how you can hooked on decorations in a month and half's time. ( I usually put them all up the day after Thanksgiving.) I'm unsure if I really want to take them down this next weekend. Though, I will feel like I have tons of room in my apartment now... BUT we shall see what happens. Who knows maybe I'll push it till at least February 1st??!?

Another part of Christmas that I will miss, is that it always seems as though some people are nicer than the rest of the year. It's like that grumpy neighbor down the hall... he actually smiled and waved at me just before Chirstmas! Then, there's those people that you may only see or talk to twice a year, unless there's a funeral. Either you've been too busy or they have and you actually get to do a little catching up with them. It feels good to do that, and you realize that you miss them. But life resumes, and everyone gets busy again after the holidays. It's sad but oh so true.

Christmas was wonderful. I received some very nice gifts, and got to visit with friends (and some relatives over the phone). The duet of "O Holy Night" went off well at the Mid-Night Christmas Mass at St. Joe's. Father Carley even managed to embarrass me a little by announcing about the Crucifix painting that is currently the acting as a Crucifix in the parish hall while the new church is being rebuilt. (I wanted to be 2 inches tall as everyone in the choir was pointing out who he was talking about.) I TRIED to sleep in the next morning, but no--- I was up by 7AM. I opened my two wrapped presents ( most of my presents I had received before or were gift cards) that were under my tree. Afterwards, I made my Christmas calls, went for a walk out in the winter land weather, then, went to my friend Diane's house for an amazing gourmet-like spread of a Christmas dinner. I finished the day, working on a new oil painting. A wonderful day!

But BOOM!! It's over with, and I'm feeling a little blah because Christmas is over with. Darn it!