I never used to understand my parent’s feelings of relief every year when December 26th rolled around. Christmas was the big day, the biggest day. It was the day that I (and my siblings) counted down to once September hit every year. The thought of copious amounts of toys waiting under my tree was enough to keep a buzz going in our house that would often last for months on end.  It was such a high that I would often get giddy every time I thought about what wonderful surprises awaited me. It didn’t end when I quit believing in Santa Claus. No, that feeling went on until my early high school years when I was filled with raging hormones and was an emotional mess that hated my family for not being the family I hoped and thought they would be. I still looked forward to Christmas during that time (partly for the prospect of an envelope full of cash), but hid my sentiment behind a mess of black hair. Shortly after opening gifts I would retreat to my room where I would call my friends to find out what they got and see when they could get out of their Christmas obligations. Anyway, to my very young self, the day after Christmas was the saddest day of the year. The thought of having to wait an entire year for such a joyful day filled with mile high piles of  toys was frustrating.

I love Christmas, but boy am I glad it’s over. I really am looking forward to getting back to the normal, easy going every day life we live. There is just so much preparation leading up to that one very big day. Even when we try to keep it simple there is always a long list of things to do with three celebrations. Aside from that, this year we had the added stress of having my father in the law stuck in the hospital (nothing terribly serious, but it was sad not having him to join in the fun).

We did have a wonderful Christmas this year. We relished it all, even with the sadness of having a family member who couldn’t join us, we spent our time enjoying the company of loved ones. We try to keep the toys to a minimum (it never works), but I will never in my life forget the joy in Lucy’s sweet face when she came downstairs and saw her little dolls lined up under the tree. She didn’t fully grasp the concept of Christmas this year, but she was excited nonetheless. I look forward to next year when she can get more involved in the excitement of it all.

I hope you all had a beautiful holiday surrounded by the people you love most.