Day 371 -- De-Christmastified

Today is the single most dreaded day of the year for me.  It's the day that I take down all of the Christmas decorations, including our Christmas tree.  The Christmas DVDs and books get boxed up, the candles and snowmen, the fiber optic gingerbread house (yes, I actually have one of these...don't ask) all get placed into Rubbermaid bins of green and red and stored in the attic for another 11 months.

It's all so very depressing to me.  Seeing our bare, naked Christmas tree stripped of its lights and ornaments and laying by the side of the road makes me want to cry.  And that's not an exaggeration at all, unfortunately.  Our living room never seems so big and empty as it does just after the tree has gone and the stockings are down.  Somehow, everything seems a bit less cozy and comforting.

But, I really have to believe that the anticipation of this horridness is worse than the actual task itself, because completing it leaves an odd sense of relief.  Like, "Whew, I'm glad that's over with."  As soon as Christmas is over, BAM, I'm thinking about how awful it will be to take everything down.  I'm absolutely convinced that it's one of the reason that I take everything down as early as I do.  It's not because I'm on top of things or that I'm ready for Christmas to be over.  On the contrary, I'd love for the season of Christmas to go on and on forever.  But, I can't have the whole Christmas breakdown hanging over my head for too long or I'll absolutely lose it.  Consequently, anything having to do with Christmas is usually gone by the 28th or 29th of December.

So, today I'm thankful that I did it.  Like ripping off a bandage, I tackled this dreaded, awful task.  I woke up this morning in kind of a funk anyways, so I decided that having a bad day was as good as any doing this.  Why ruin two days, right?  I won't say that it was fun, and I'm not grateful that everything is gone.  I'm still in mourning.  To be honest, I'm hoping some fresh, hot Chex Mix and some Coors Light will help, but I'm not optimistic.  But, I am grateful that it is done.  It is no longer looming in the horizon, giving me that sinking feeling in my stomach.  It is done.  All I have to do now is look forward to when I can see it again next year.

Thank God for being De-Christmastified!

Lord, thank you for the season of Christmas.  I am so sad it is over.  Please help to alleviate this sadness.  Thank you for giving me the strength to put away all of the Christmas stuff today so that I don't have to dread doing it anymore.  In your name I pray, Amen.

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