Holiday Posting

I hate to see Christmas end. I would like those delightful moments of joy to last forever and this is how I manage to extend our holiday happiness well into January.

We jump into the celebration feet first--right at the outset. In our twenty-six year marriage, we've never once celebrated Christmas at home. When one arranges to celebrate Christmas away from home, the holiday excitements begins as we drive 19 hours (split into two days) akin to the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ian drove it this year and proved he has his grandfathers blood, a trucker as is his father. He pulled six hours nonstop (okay, me and potty breaks aside) the first day.

Once we arrive, the presents commence Christmas Eve and don't end until each and every one of both sides of the extended family arrives and departs, besting even Hanukkah for longevity. This year, it was a sixteen-day celebration with six major parties. (I'll explain later).
So finally we return home (only 18.5 hours nonstop) where I'll continue the joyous activities of December's celebration well into the month of January. But, I pull it off all in reverse.

I'll begin to put away the tree and repack all the decorations bound for the attic and sense a feeling of de-je-vous. It's eerie--it seems I just went through these same motions less than 24 hours ago at the other venue of celebration. There I took down the tree, the lights, and cleaned. I collected of all the detritus left from Christmas and packed--culminating with the emptying of the fridge.

But here, the exact reverse of the process occurs, I'm filling the fridge and I unpack and fling all the contents haphazardly throughout the house, and then I again begin taking down the tree, packing up the lights, the decorations--it's all the same.

I'll say it again-- For me, vacations are as much work as being home. It's just a different venue.
And with that thought, I willing to bet that I can stretch out this process until February 14th at least.