Christmas is Over

So... The holidays are over for another year. Not that this is a newsflash to anybody. Sure, there are occasional wishes of "Happy New Year!" and "Have a good holiday!" that somebody will pop out with... For some, I'm sure that it's a genuine wish that the joy Christmas and the New Year are still fresh, but for many I tend to suspect that it's an unavoidable slip after two months of replacing "have a good day" with "have a good Christmas."

This holiday season was, I think, the best one I've ever had. A trip to Disney World in September set the stage, then after that, life was a whirlwind of candy, over-the-top dinners, presents, costumes, new hobbies, new ideas, a desire for tradition and the creation of lasting memories. It was almost a shame to say goodbye to it all. Though I say this while still sitting in the glow of a Christmas tree, still lit and decorated, so it's something of a lingering goodbye that hasn't taken hold yet. What can I say? I think this year we got the most gorgeous tree I've ever seen and, despite the fact that it's a dried out stick, I'm having a hard time pushing it out the door.

One of the great things about this holiday season was that my son was old enough to absorb what was going on, participate, and (dare I say it?) enjoy it. That alone was a tremendous motivator to try and make the season special. Now, while for him "special" included getting root beer floats on Christmas Eve, whapping people with cardboard wrapping paper tubes, and ripping paper into tiny confetti-like bits that I'm still finding in all sorts of odd places, for me, "special" meant digging for great ideas, indulging in my new hobby of making bentos (more on that later), and making the foolish resolution to try and create a special experience for everybody for more than just 2 months a year.

Insane? Yes. Of course it is. I know how crazy it is. I work full time, I'm starting a part-time job from home, I want to finish my degree... Oh, and my audience includes my son who is 18 months old, and his stepbrothers are 2 1/2 and almost 5. Plus, I have all those fun, grownup things like bills, health problems, too much stress, too little sleep, and an almost total absence of free time. But there was a time where I clearly remember when I spent time planning fun things for everybody to do. I had fun planning, I had fun doing, and it was really relaxing.

Now, I know life takes over, but wouldn't it be nice if this year I could go back to my passion of blogging (yes, that was a passion for me at one point) and having fun by being fun?

A happy boy in a "Cars" chair, watching "Cars."  And a tree that's seen better days.