Today, for me, is probably the most depressing day of the year. The holidays (Leaf Party, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day) are officially over. It's Sunday night and tomorrow morning, it's back to work.
While I love winter time and cold weather, my favorite part of the year is October 1 - January 1. I enjoy college and pro football in the fall, the leaves changing colors, the Leaf Party, the holidays, everything about Christmas (decorations, good cheer, shopping, etc.). Tonight, Jude and I took down our Christmas decorations and while I went to the gym to run, she boxed them up. Depressing, totally depressing. As a final salute to the season, our Christmas lights on the front porch are still lit up and we've yet to undecorate the Christmas tree and take it down. That comes later in the week, though.
Reflecting just a bit, Christmas this year had an added dimension for us, as John Patrick was able to enjoy it so much more than last year. Even now, I smile to myself as I hear his rendition of "ho hoooooo," echoing in my mind, every time he saw the Santa Claus decoration on the wall of our bedroom upstairs. I continue to smile, as I remember him peeking bashfully around the waist high wall at Green Hills Mall to wave at Santa Claus, and Santa Claus waving back. I smile when I remember him being so fascinated with the nativity set my mother got him last year, picking up the tiny baby Jesus out of the manger, carrying him around, kissing him and hugging him, then carefully setting him back in the manger. In my mind's eye, I smile when I recall him standing and gazing up at our Christmas tree, then carefully removing ornaments and studying them while nearby I watched closely, worried he might swallow one of them. I smile when I remember taking him with me to my office, then to the courthouse to deliver my "manly pickles" to the ladies who work in the clerks' offices. I'm still smiling, thought not as much, as I remember him throwing up in my truck on the way home the same day, after which I managed to pull over in a subdivision, change his clothes, and clean him and the car seat up, all in a matter of minutes. I smile, chuckling, as I remember him laughing hysterically while our nanny, Carley, took his picture sitting in the chair Jude's parents gave him for Christmas.
That's the thing about children, I guess. They make things that are already good, like Christmas, so much more special and memorable.
For once, I managed to take some time off work over the holidays, and I'm really glad I did. The way Christmas and New Year's Day fell this year, I actually haven't worked much the past couple of weeks. It's been nice, truthfully. Tomorrow, though, it's back to work and, for me, 2010 begins in earnest. Happy New Year.
No comments:
Post a Comment