I came home Monday evening from my trip to Springfield, and the first thing that hit me was the presence of all of our Christmas decorations gathered together in preparation for our packing them away. I have always enjoyed the way the house looked during the holidays with the wide variety of decorations throughout our home, and now we would begin the process of returning our home to its normal appearance.
While we add to these decorations each year, many of them have accumulated over the years, reflecting events in our family’s life. As I walked through the house this Christmas season, I recalled key events such as the birth of each of our sons, Christmases with our parents, and milestones in each of our lives. Despite the cold and snow, we see during our winter months, our beautifully decorated home, both inside and out, somehow makes winter more tolerable, as they allow us to reflect on holidays past.
Now all these beautiful reminders of the holiday season are gathered together to be put away for our next Christmas. While we will have pleasant memories of this past Christmas season, we will now face the coming winter months without the pleasant distraction provided by the Christmas holidays, and the beautiful decorations that added to the joy of the season.
So begins our journey through the long winter months, and while I know many, especially our children and grandchildren will enjoy the beauty of the winter months, I will miss the joy of the holiday season, and the pleasant gatherings with family and friends. For me and for many others, “Christmas is like candy; it slowly melts in your mouth sweetening every taste bud, making you wish it could last forever.” For my family, this was a beautiful holiday season, and with or without these decorative reminders, I will continue to have pleasant memories of our recent holiday season.