Bleh

It’s that time of year again… the doldrum days after Christmas. At least on the 26th you can joke around and say “Merry Day After Christmas!” and it’s mildly funny (okay, maybe not). But when you hit the 27, 28th, 29th… it’s just sad.

I had a fairly good Christmas this year, relatively speaking. There is quite a bit of personal turmoil going on in my life, but at least for a few moments I was able to experience the joy of the season. One of the highlights for me was the candlelight mass at the church where I work. After communion, they turned out all the lights, and we all lit our candles, and sang “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” The beautiful setting, the glow of the candles, looking around the church at the sea of lights and hearing one of my favorite songs… it was pure magic. I think that was my Christmas “moment” this year. You know when you think back to Christmases past, the memories that stand out in your mind? Those are your Christmas “moments,” the things that make it really special for you. (Note to self: Start keeping track of these moments; maybe I can gather enough of them and create the ultimate Christmas including every one…)

And then Christmas day is over, and the magic starts to fade. At least it’s not as bad for me this year as in previous years. I don’t know if it’s having two active children keeping me busy that keeps my mind off of it, or if I just wasn’t expecting that much out of this Christmas, so having a good one was enough to sustain me for a few extra days.

Each year, I wonder why this happens. Why do we feel so bad? Do other people feel this way, too? I’m sure they must. I can’t think of any other time of year filled with so much anticipation- and I guess all that buildup has to turn into letdown when the buildup is over. I feel like we are at the bottom of a hill on a great roller coaster. Right now, we are kinda stuck in a valley. We need to do something fun to start pushing us up the hill, or we’ll never get enough momentum to get us through the dull, dreary days of January and February.

Merry day after day after day after Christmas!

Yep, sad.