"I'm sorry. Your day hasn't even come yet."I say this as I pick the Wise Men off the bay window and tuck them back into their storage boxes. I'm torn between taking down the Christmas tree or putting the Nativity Set back to bed for another year. The Puglies have been knocking bits of the Nativity set off the bay window ever since I set it up, so the Nativity set it is. Besides, I haven't had enough of sitting in the dark with only the magical lights of the Christmas tree for company.
I had been planning on waiting until Epiphany before I put the Wise Men away. I've spent most of my life of faith ignorant of January 6th and its significance, let alone that the twelve days of Christmas start on Christmas day, not end on Christmas Day! It's only in the past five years that I've had a shift there. Dearest one grew up without any of the Christmas hoopla and I heard him commenting earlier today that the tree was still up (in a what's up with that? kind of way.)
I'm only looking for something to do because the house is quiet for the first time in nearly 2 weeks. Dearest one is over at his brother's. Only daughter and her lover boy left for home early this morning. The other kids have been gone since Boxing Day. For someone who loves solitude it surprises me that I'm not much interested in it today.
For the past twenty some years we've taken the tree down and put away the decorations before youngest son's birthday but I don't feel obligated to do that anymore since youngest son no longer lives here. Oooh, I could sense a bit of "it's my house and I'll do what I want" attitude in that sentence. Funny how we sometimes can't tell what we really think until we say it out loud (or see it in print). I have friends who often let my words hang in the air just so I can really hear them. At just the right moments they know that silence can make more of a point than words could ever do.
Guess not all the wise men - and women - are packed away, are they?
7 comments:
I've just read your last three posts. Each one touched me. I especially love the previous post Shaking Our Heads. Life is a miracle. Thanks for the reminders.
You wrote "At just the right moments they know that silence can make more of a point than words could ever do."
In music, it is often taught that the rests--when no one is playing--are the most important part of a statement in a composition.
So, I'll Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
But it IS your house, Hope, and you get to change your mind about traditions any time you want to. We used to always wait to buy our tree until after daughter's birthday on Dec. 13. Now I get to put it up any time I like, and I like that departure from tradition. I'm the boss of me, and that's cool!
Oh, thanks for this Hope! I will be leaving my tree and Wisemen up to at least the 6th! I am usually so prompt about tearing down the tree on New Years day. This year we put it up right after Thanksgiving and it is still fresh and green and beautiful! Such a shame to throw away a perfectly fresh tree! I never knew that about the 12 day so of Christmas either. Like what you said about the silence too. So true, thanks for the reminder.
Funny how we sometimes can't tell what we really think until we say it out loud...
Yup, yup...I'm beginning to feel and see more and more in the silence of meditation at days end...
"Guess not all the wise men - and women - are packed away, are they?"
You make me smile. Have I mentioned that before?
Yes, debating the same thing vis a vis the Christmas tree, today. I always think of Jan 6th, because my ma told me about it when I was a kid. Back then, the tree didn't go up until Christmas eve and it came down after the wise men's day.
Mich
I like that our traditions can change. When the kids are gone, we do thing differently. But we still call them kids, even though they are adults..LOL
Loved the story of your youngest son's birth.
Post a Comment