Christmas Over So Soon!

Christmas is Over?
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Wait?  What?  Christmas is done… that is it?  Well… actually, according to the Christian reformed calendar Christmas doesn’t necessarily end on the day after Christmas day.  It will continue for the next couple of weeks. 

So, the most important question for me is… if Christmas is continuing in the reformed calendar, that means I do not have to put away any Christmas decorations until January 7th .  And that is a relief. 

I love Christmas… and I love all the preparations for Christmas, like decorating the church and the house, buying gifts for family and friends.  But what I do not like is taking down decorations, putting them away and now having to rearrange the house.  It is just a pain in the butt.  But eventually these decorations will have to come down… not now… but soon… maybe…

I wonder how long I can keep the Christmas decorations up?  I think the longest I ever had Christmas decorations up was right up to Easter when I was living in Long Island New York.  And I think I had it up the whole time was because my neighbor across the street had his up that whole time.  And my thought process was simple, “Well if he has his still up, then it is ok that I have mine up.”  I started to take it down when I saw him taking his down.  I knew I should have put it away sooner, but to be honest I was lazy and didn’t want to face the hassle of putting away decorations and find space once again to put them somewhere.  But I do not think I will wait until April to take down the Christmas decorations.

Even though I already see people taking their Christmas decorations and displays down, I think I still have several more weeks to do so, before the neighborhood starts questioning my mental state.  To be honest…. Though... Another reason, other than laziness, that I don’t want to take down the Christmas decorations is because I love Christmas, and I feel that if I take down the decorations than Christmas ends and that Christmas spirit just dies.

I don’t want Christmas to just go away.  Christmas is the best thing about winter, isn’t it?  I mean without Christmas it would be the darkest, most depressing month of the entire year!  All December is cloudy, gets dark around 4:30pm, windy, cold, and dry.  Christmas is the flavor of the month!  Christmas gives us carols, lights, bright colors, celebration, and Christ.  Christ is born on that day, which means that God is with us in the darkest, bleakest parts in our life.  He brings light to the darkness, chases away the clouds, and restores our dry bones, and parched souls. 

So… can we wait to take down the decorations!  It doesn’t have to be now.  And even when you do decide to take down the decorations, remember that the spirit of Christmas, the Spirit of Christ is with you throughout the darkest, coldest, windiest winter nights.  So may Christmas be with you for a few more days!

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