Merry Holidays Are Over To You!

I know, I know, I sound like Scrooge.  I actually feel a bit like Scrooge.  Not the Grinch; he didn't want Christmas to come at all.  I wanted Christmas to come, I just wanted it to take the hint and move along, let New Year's Eve sit down for a while before he was handed his hat as well.  Not that I don't love Christmas morning, Christmas Mass, Christmas Carols, Christmas cookies (realize these likes are not in order of importance!)  I do!  What I'm not a fan of is decorating, getting the Christmas cards done (and mailed BEFORE Christmas Eve), shopping, wrapping (HATE wrapping!!), DE-decorating; you know, the stuff your mom always did when you were young and oblivious.  Yeah, that stuff!!

Well, now it's January 2nd.  My house looks like Elves Gone Wild Episode 1.  All I need are some tipped over eggnog cups and curly-toed shoes peeking out from under the couch to complete the picture.  Yes, before you wonder, there ARE elf hats strewn under the tree!  There's a Liv Doll sitting on a Baking Soda Rocket, a Jerry Garcia tie leaning against a chin-up bar, and a Hexbug dangerously close to my box of chocolates!

So many people use the New Year weekend to dismantle all the Christmas decorations and wait patiently for Valentine's Day to come.  I'm usually one of those people.  This year, however, our Annual Saturday-After-Christmas Family Get-together, thanks to the 25th falling on a Sunday with the following Saturday being New Year's Eve, will take place on the second Saturday-After-Christmas.  It's actually kind of nice being forced not to DE-decorate so soon, but still.....   Needless to say, this year was an artificial pine since the kids insisted we put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving and if it were the real thing, we would be looking at a tree resembling a giant toothpick and be in violation of at least a few fire codes!  It's actually very very nice and very easy to water!

But I'm drifting.  I sit here disappointed in myself for being happy it's just about time to file away another Christmas season.  First is was my birthday; used to absolutely love my birthdays!  Would tell anyone who'd listen (or not listen, I didn't care!) that it was my birthday!! Yeh me!!!  Now?  Hmmm...don't get me wrong; it's not that I don't love getting birthday greetings nor do I turn down presents.  It's just not the hoopla it used to be and I'm letting the same thing happen to Christmas!  So to that end...

My New Year's Resolution is as follows:  I will try, for the sake of my young children and inevitably for my own sake, to strive to look forward to every holiday with the same enthusiasm as my kids.  I will do my best to decorate for Valentine's Day, St. Pat's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas willingly and happily.  

However, since my resolution technically starts for the Valentine Holiday, I'm giving myself six more weeks of moaning and groaning.  

Happy New Year everyone!  May God grant peace on Earth, good health to you and your loved ones, many tears of joy and few, if any, of sorrow, and happiness, happiness, happiness!!

Now I have to go fix the candle that went out in the window throwing off my outside Christmas light Feng Shui!

~Eileen Cassidy Bishop