Can We Talk 2

Christmas Night

         The dishwasher has run two loads. The floors are swept, and the wrapping paper is balled up in trash bags. The Christmas lights are on a timer which will soon turn off. TV has only old movies or rerun sitcoms. I've been too tired to read. All the company left a few hours ago.

         Phew! The weeks of anticipation, of trying to choose the perfect gift, of planning the menu and the timing of dishes in the oven. All the little decorative touches which took trial and error and no one noticed. And then it's over so fast. I had to keep slowing the kids down, so we could observe who was getting what. One family opted for passing out scratch off lottery tickets instead of shopping and wrapping. I think we had 3 one dollar winners in the group. $65 on lottery tickets for $3 winnings. We did have a few minutes of fun, scratching off with the kids.

         Since Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday, I spent a lot of time in church, which forces you to sit still and listen to music and relax. I went into Christmas fairly stress free. My only stress came from the cranky 89 year old, and he only has outbursts of crankiness. It's not constant. Now it's over, he'll be laid back until the next holiday or medical procedure.

         It's time to relax, clean up in general, and delve into unfinished projects. It's also a time to reflect and evaluate. The anticipation is over. The holiday flew by. How can I live with the joy and good will of Christmas all year long?