Post-Christmas blues

So far...and I hope these feelings pass soon...I've had the post-Christmas blues. When telling my husband about this, he replied "Christmas is done. It's kind of natural."  That's how he handles things: matter-of-factly. 

I guess these are my angst-ridden thoughts. The Christmas gifts have all been distributed, the Christmas tree is bare and has lost its magic, all the family gatherings have taken place, and things should be getting back to normal. But I don't feel like it's back to normal. It's been cloudy, blustery and bleak since Christmas. I didn't get to do all the things I wanted for Christmas this year. I wanted to bake dozens of cookies, have dinner for some of my family, give Christmas presents to some unfortunate children, play Christmas music on the organ one more time at the assisted living facility my mom lives in, go to Christmas concerts, and attend some Christmas church services. The three letter word is about to raise it's head...BUT this Christmas is past and I must go on. I must make next year's Christmas what I wanted this Christmas to represent.

I was just talking to my husband a little earlier this evening as to how I'd like to have our Christmas shopping completed in November this next year, so we could take time to really breathe-in Christmas. To actually enjoy and celebrate our Savior's birth. I think that would be a good thing. This year was such a melange of things. I was here, there, and everywhere, and I had no direction whatsoever. I will plan better and earlier next year.

Perhaps the feelings I'm experiencing are bittersweet: the kind of feelings you experience when getting home from a wonderful vacation. You really didn't want to vacation to end, but it's sure good to be home. So instead of grieving over this past Christmas, I will look forward to the rest of the Winter...and then onto the renewal in Spring.