Christmas and Boxing Day

Last night, after all the festivities and visiting, we got in our PJs and got into bed. It was the old routine and that made it seem like just another night. The excitement of the holiday seemed to fade so fast. I was left thinking: what now? what do we have to get excited about in the next several months of winter? I was a little sad as I fell asleep. We had another vacation type day today. We read our new books and ate more cookies and chocolate. We went to a friend's house for a little visit. I worked on my sock some more - I am at the toe now. Then I suggested we go out for pizza. Normally, I would have made another big meal for Boxing Day - just an excuse to get through more fancy food and indulgence. In the past, we might have had more friends over to keep the excitement up. But I just don't seem to have the energy or motivation to do that right now. Maybe it is the aging thing, or maybe it is just a phase. I enjoyed the way things went but I do wonder if I am getting old, lazy, and boring, or if I am slightly depressed or in a slump.

We had a great day on Christmas. The morning was exciting, cozy and sentimental. We got up at 6:30, had freshly made Stollen and coffee, and opened presents slowly, savoring each thing. After lounging for a while, we got dressed and drove 50 minutes to my sister's house where we had lunch/dinner, went for a short hike, lounged some more, then came home. Simple and sweet.

It is traditional for us to have a small scale, family oriented Christmas. The girls love the routine and predictability of all the things we do all December: get the tree all together, decorate it, advent calendar, Christmas cards, shopping, making presents, baking cookies, setting up Sylvanian scenes, listening to Christmas music, getting home made flannel PJs, reading The Night Before Christmas, and getting up on Christmas morning while it is still dark out.

These rituals mark the passing of time. Even though a lot stays the same, things do change. Sometimes we are in different places, like London or Australia. We all look a little bit older each year and are at different places in our lives. We can't help looking back nostalgically and looking forward with expectation.