Christmas Came and Went

Twas the night after Christmas...wait, how the heck did that happen? Every year there's such a buildup to the holiday season, with stores carrying merchandise before Halloween. And it seems there's so much time. And then you blink and - poof! - Christmas is over. No more holiday music on the radio station. The neighborhood yard inflatables have all collapsed in apparent drunken stupors from too much eggnog. The lights are slowly being turned off and taken down. And we're barreling unceremoniously towards the end of the year.

The Christmas season is my favorite time of year, but it's followed by the worst time of year. When the cheer suddenly starts dying away just as the days start becoming a little bit longer. And before you know it, it's all gone and forgotten. And the neighborhoods all look so...naked.

And this is the first year in which I did not have Connor at all, for Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. That's never happened before. I mean I guess it's fair, I had him all of last season while we were on a cruise to Hawaii. But in a way it's almost like Christmas hasn't happened yet. At least, my tree still has presents under it. Quite a lot actually...maybe I should unwrap and store a few. Most of what I got him was practical things I would eventually get anyway. Like clothes. And soccer cleats.

And my lights and decor will stay up at least through the weekend. On Sunday I'll get a little throwback celebration to remember the season by. Lived vicariously through a 12 year old, but still.

I bought myself a present for Christmas. New glasses. As seen in the picture here. Ho Ho Ho. Well, it had been four years since I last had my eyes checked and got new glasses. It was time.

And the holiday WAS nice after all. Spent Christmas Eve with a dinner at my girlfriend's house in Lincoln, and Christmas morning at my parents (mimosas!), and Christmas afternoon at my brother's house (wine!). And I took my dad today to see a movie (Song Sung Blue, which, despite the impression of the previews, was not in fact a biography of Neil Diamond). So yes, it was a nice holiday. It just flew by in the blink of an eye.

And we got a nice winter storm this Christmas, complete with lightning and thunder as we drove home from my brother's house. And rain, rain, rain. But I didn't lose power - my camping lantern was charged and ready to go - and there wasn't much flooding here.

Well, I suppose there's always next year. But I'm not going to think about that yet. Not going to think about the New Year yet, even though it may prove to be a year of great change. For now, I still have a little bit of Christmas to go.