Life Goes On

I do not like to decorate for Christmas by myself. My tradition is a tree trimming party with popcorn, cider, hot chocolate, other goodies and lots of people choosing where the ornaments should go and how the candles should be placed and what other decorations should be out and about. 

Un-decorating is another matter entirely. I grumble about it a little and I want to do it By My Self! I turn on the lights for the last time. I turn on the carols for probably the last time. And then I go to it. Sometimes I cry when a special carol comes on or a special memory is awakened by some ornament I am storing away. I can take my time or push right through. No one disturbs my thoughts nor do I feel a need to talk to anyone. And in a short while - this year an hour and a half - the window seat where the decorations are kept is closed down tight for another 11 months. 

And then I clean. This year that will wait until tomorrow when I have help because I have a cold and don’t feel good and so am going to sit. Some where on the edges of my memory is a tradition of sweeping out the house at the new year, symbolic of sweeping away the old and giving the new a clean place to arrive. Our ancestors had wisdom about the ways of the world. And so the house will be cleaned, swept, vacuumed; sheets and towels, both ours and company’s, will be washed and returned to the beds or the closet. Some trinkets will be returned to their places. Others will be placed somewhere new. The New Year will be underway and the house will be ready for all the excitement, visits, changes, and blessings that will come with it. We are ready. ~ may the reality of your year match your dreams