The whirlwind that is the holiday season has once again come and gone. Each year, the holidays seem to come earlier and earlier, and yet it still seems to be over all so quickly. All the buildup, all the rushing around and all the stress of shopping seem to go by in the blink of an eye.
I’m sure it is different for children. The buildup and anticipation of Christmas likely goes by at a painfully slow pace as they count down the days. At least that was the case in our house again this year. Christmas morning was a dizzying blur of hyper-activity for our 8-year-old as she rumbled down the stairs bright and early to check out the presents under the tree.
Our 11-year-old decided toys were too passé this year and instead asked Santa to bring her lots of books. Later that day, she disappeared to her room to begin digesting the first of many new stories while her younger sister played with a new art kit.
Taking down the Christmas decorations is always my least favorite day of the year. Growing up, my father simply couldn’t wait to get the tree down and restore order to our living room. Usually, the tree came down the day after Christmas, although I vaguely recall one year when it came down Christmas night.
We put off dismantling the decorations until the New Year, but once all the presents are gone from underneath the tree, it never looks quite the same. All the joy and excitement that goes in to putting ornaments and lights on the tree is absent when it comes time to pack it all up. The kids love to unpack everything, as they search for their favorite ornaments.
Not surprisingly, my helpers who are so eager to unpack the decorations are never to be found when it comes time to take it all down. That is probably for the best though as my wife says no one can match my “system” of packing things away. Or maybe that is just her way of getting out of having to help.
New Year’s Eve was an interesting adventure as well in our home. My wife came up with a fun evening of activities for the kids to enjoy. My wife’s mother was also on hand to spend some quality time with the kids and I’m not sure who had the most fun, her or the girls.
It marked the first time that we planned to let the kids stay up until midnight to ring in the New Year, but I was also pretty sure neither I, nor the 8-year-old would last that long. By 10 p.m., my suspicions were correct as the two of us were nodding off.
The rest of the family did make it to midnight, complete with lighting off sparklers in the freezing cold. It is all about making memories and they certainly did that.
As for resolutions, perhaps this will finally be the year that I stick to my plan. It’s either that or it may soon be time to invest in some bigger pants after consuming all those yummy holiday foods.
From all of us here at the Houlton Pioneer Times, we wish you a joyous and prosperous New Year.
