Christmas

I guess it has to happen eventually. Here sooner rather than later. What goes up, must come down. I'm referring to the annual chore of taking down the Christmas decorations. Luckily we can count on the occasional 60-80 degree day to get the outside down before a cold snap comes through. Cold as in windy and 30-40 degrees. Big wup right? But we Dallasites are conditioned to our climate and pull out the parkas (wait a minute, this is Dallas, we don the furs darling) when the thermometer dips below 50. The tree came down last. I just couldn't give up the beautiful glow that tree lent to the daily routine. I only put up half as much paraphenalia as I could have. Several boxes stayed in storage because I just dread the take down. I have enough gorgeous, one of a kind ornaments for two trees which I have done many times in years past. When the kids were little we always had a real tree. Dad insisted on it and yes, though it was a mess that he literally wrestled into its inadequate stand each year the scent was intoxicating. Granted it never seemed straight and it actually came crashing to the ground one year, thus obliterating several of those treasured ornaments I had spent a lifetime collecting. Now with the girls grown the real tree has become expendable and the elaborate schemes to produce a magical visit from Santa are over, sadly and thankfully. I keep telling myself, next year I will have the energy to do the whole shabang to the hilt once again. But realistically, we have quiet Christmases here, no extended family to celebrate with, to owe the obligatory holiday visit to, to have dropping by to eat up the four dozen decorated butter cookies that still sit mostly uneaten.
But I have lots of memories of Christmases past, near past and long past. I think of Christmases to come with the kids scattered to the four corners (which yes, I was the first one guilty of flight in my family. Payback is hell.) Will Christmases become more lonely and fractured? Will they feel the pull to come home or create their own traditions? Whether they are with me or their own families, I hope they feel the joy of creating memories of their own, feel the love of their family from Christmases past, know the joy that only this season brings if they remember that no matter how simple or elaborate they make it, what they do with love remains in the heart.