Bah Humbug

So this was Christmas.

Mother Nature's gift to us was an air temperature that never climbed higher than -14 degrees; her stocking stuffer was a wind chill anywhere from -40 to -50 depending on the gusts.  Twice I got frostbite while standing too close to a window.  With no hope of outdoor activities my parents and I settled in for a day of indoor inactivity.  The only reminder of today's label was the variety of Christmas music my mother insisted on playing.  There were no stockings, no gifts....we had leftovers for lunch.  Turn off the music, cover up the tree, and we'd have been left with an ordinary.......is it Monday today?

First thing this morning my youngest daughter informed me over the phone that after today there are only 365 days until Christmas.  Her stocking had been emptied and relatives were arriving for her mom's family's holiday gathering.  The noise in the background was incessant.  The excitement in her voice unmistakeable.  In her eyes this was Christmas:  family on the way, food prep plans discussed, presents in the morning with more in the evening, games, noise.....a party!

I prefer my version of Christmas.  The peace.  A silent afternoon leading to a silent night.  No presents. No stress.  I took a nap.  I read some Readers Digests.  I ate when I wanted with no worry of meal schedules.  It was the first completely unproductive day I've lived in months.  The sun is now gone for the day and soon the day will be gone, too.  Another Christmas survived.

Seven holiday programs.  Weeks of gift-shopping stress.  Non-stop music.  Light displays.  Family gathering logistics.  It's not a holiday - it's a quest for the serenity of December 26th.  My quest ended a day early this year, thanks to family plans and horrible weather.  Every year, when asked, I share my favorite Christmas memory being the feeling I have when I wake on December 26th and know that the entire ordeal is over for another year.  This year, for the first time in a long time, my favorite memory of this season is Christmas Day itself.  Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he brought me one extra day between the nuttiness of this Christmas season and the beginning of the next.

Go tell THAT on the mountain.