It’s over. Officially over. Christmas, that is. The tree is down, the decorations are put up, the Nativity scene is secured in it’s box, and the pine scented candle is officially burned out. The only thing that remains is the set of lights that adorned the porch. I’m proud to say that I finally had a home on which I put up some outside lights. A landmark year, for sure.

There were other landmarks, this year, too:

• My father enjoyed a Christmas morning with us, opening gifts. I know it meant a lot to him, and I wonder if he knows that it meant a lot to me. Despite our hardheadedness, we have soft hearts, and we love deeply.
• The kids got a trampoline. They’ve only been asking for one, for-like-ever!
• A baby celebrated his first Christmas; though it’s always remembered by the parent more than the child.
• We watched “It’s A Wonderful Life” on Christmas Eve, and I do believe we have a tradition started.

The list could go on, and on, but the holidays are over. For now, that is.

* * * * * *

I usually don’t enjoy putting away the ornaments, but this year I did. I looked over every single one, as I packed them meticulously. Each one has such meaning, each one is special in it’s own rite. I love that. No balls and ribbons of the same kind for me. While I do enjoy a uniform-looking tree, as they are exquisite and beautiful, it’s just not me. The way the tree is decorated is very symbolic of who I am. I realized that this afternoon, as I packed it all up.

There are all these different aspects from which I draw; I get a little bit out of here, a little bit out of there, a little bit more, a little bit less, and that’s how I like it. My life is all-embracing. It makes me, me! I’m goofy, serious, witty, stupid, beautiful, homely, alluring, gross, benign, harsh, respectful, critical, and so much more.

Sure, I just took down my tree, and put my Santa figurine away. The exhibition of all the treasures I’ve collected is gone for another year, but they’re still there. Kind of like how [I] possess all of these great and horrible qualities, all the same, at different times. What really matters, in the end, is what’s showcased. That’s the magic of the holidays, the magic of life.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 9:15 pm and is filed under General, Holiday Magic. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.