The Saddest Time of the Year

I spent the last month staring at a beautifully lit and decorated Christmas tree. Every morning I would get the kid(s) off to school, plug in the tree and sit down with my coffee and all of my “mommy-time” supplies (Bible, journal, Jesus Calling etc.). The glow of the tree seemed to make my communion time with the Father so much more sweet, it was a huge physical reminder — something we had to rearrange our living room to accommodate — that Jesus is at the reason for the season and for every living breath I take.

At night my husband and I would occasionally pour a glass of wine and sit, just the two of us, enjoying the glittering Christmas balls and soft lights. I listened to Christmas music pretty much non-stop.

Now it seems wrong to still have the tree up, and I can’t bring myself to plug it in. It’s the saddest time of the year, taking it all down, boxing up the garlands and hauling it back up to the attic.

I’m not going the cheesy route . . . Christmas is all year round! Christmas is in your heart! You can trust me to run as far away from cheese as possible (but not real cheese, even though we are going dairy-free for a while . . . I digress . . .), but I just love the feeling I get around Christmas. I love putting away the normal and bringing out the extravagant, rearranging the house to fill it with thoughts and decorations that are so much more beautiful than my every day life consists of.

So it is with sadness today that I wind up the mini-lights, and snap on the lids of my Rubbermaid bins. I am sorrowful that while the carols will ring in my ears for at least another month, Christmastime is over.

What are your feelings after Christmas? Are you happy to get back to normal, or do you wish we could linger just a little bit longer?

I pray that 2013 is a beautiful year for all of you, stocked with surprises and joy, blessings and peace!