There's Nothing as "Over" as Christmas

My friend Patty tells me her sweet mother always said, "There's nothing as "over" as Christmas.

How true.

I so vividly remember the first weekend I began shopping and wrapping this year. It was still a couple weeks before Thanksgiving, and I put on some lovely Christmas music (I believe it was Josh Groban). For me, the season had begun! Even my kids complained, "Mom, it's still November!" I didn't care. It's my absolute favorite time of year, and I wasn't about to wrap Christmas presents without Christmas music. I attributed my early start to the fact that we had three new people join our family this year, a nearly 50% increase. I would certainly need more time.

As November faded and December arrived, I was already in full swing. The tree was up. The house was decorated. The lists were made. The shopping was under way. As the days flew by, one after the other, and I watched Seth move the mouse in our Christmas countdown calendar, I was okay until the mouse reached the final row beginning with December 20th. At that point, I began to feel much like the Grinch. "I've got to stop Christmas from coming!" I thought. Not because I don't like it. Not because my heart is two sizes too small like the Grinch's (at least I hope not), but because as Patty's mother so eloquently points out:

There's nothing as "over" as Christmas.

And I didn't want it to be over. I wanted to slow down time those final few days in order to stretch out the joy just a little longer. What if we simply didn't move the mouse? Would that work? Obviously not.

Christmas came and went. Just like that. It was lovely, by the way. We had a houseful of people most of the week, constant coming and going, the normal last-minute shopping, plenty of cooking and eating with no regard for calories or fat grams. Still, in all the bustle, some quiet moments found their way. On Christmas Eve, before opening our traditional one gift each, Gerald and I read aloud the Christmas story from the Gospel of Luke, and Mathew offered a prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of the Savior and for the blessings of family. It was quiet for just a moment, even with all ten of us in the same room. Christmas morning, we waited with anxious delight for Seth to ascend the stairs and find his "Santa" gifts, an electric scooter and a new fish to replace Orange-head, who died a couple weeks ago.

And then, as quickly as it came, it was over. Early this morning, Shulamith and Matt got into their car to begin the long drive back to Utah. This afternoon, Désirée and Luke and Evelyn boarded an airplane bound for Texas. We get to keep Isaiah for another week, thanks heavens! Tomorrow, I will take down the mouse calendar, along with the tree and other decorations and pack them safely away for another year. I will try not to cry. Isaiah is still here. And Lindsey is in town this week as well. Both these things will help tremendously. I will try hard not to cry.

Generally speaking, January is my very least favorite month. It's still so cold, but Christmas is over. It's much easier to tolerate the bitter cold when Christmas is coming. I find myself thinking about the curse of the witch in Narnia, which made it always winter but never Christmas. How wretched! January feels so long. This year, however, I get to go to Utah and spend six days with Shulamith while Matt is in New York. I'm thinking January won't be so bad after all.

There's nothing as "over" as Christmas, and yet, the new year is rich with opportunity. Who knows what is in store for each of us. Two thousand ten brought us two weddings and three new family members. I doubt 2011 can measure up to that, but you never know.