It seems I had the Christmas hangover before Christmas as I wrote a post and then didn’t check to see if it was published — and it wasn’t. Darn! So I’ve only just posted last weeks offering and now I’m ready to write this next one.
Christmas is not a happy time for everyone, and I remember the years when it was a particularly unhappy time for me. But gradually as the years have passed, so too has the devastation that one of my children is missing . Of course I still feel the sadness every year but it is not so all-encompassing where I wallow in it anymore. Instead there is an acceptance — and I rely on the memories I have of Kelly at Christmas. I know it is a cliche, but as time goes on it gets easier to bear.
This year we went to the beach again and had our picnic under the trees before adjourning to the sand to set up the gazebo and go for a swim. It is much easier because it is so different from the family gathering at home where we all overindulge because there is too much food. So we got sunburnt, whilst we watched the youngest grandson digging a hole to China in the sand. A quiet, relaxing day shared with the family leaving us tired and contented at the end of the day.
There seems to be so much frenetic energy around Christmas and when it is over there is relief, but there can also be a let-down after all the hype. Then comes the clean-up jobs — packing up the tree, putting away the left over wrapping paper and taking down the wreath from the front door. All the signs that it really is over and we can get back to our normal lives. But can we really? Next we had New Years Eve to think about and even though I don’t celebrate it like I did when I was younger, there is still some magic about it all.
We exchange our ‘Merry Christmas’ greetings to ‘Happy New Year’ ones, and the grog shops get frantically busy with people stocking up for the big night of celebration. Or is it that we just need to keep busy getting ready for something after the madness of Christmas preparation. We became accustomed to the busyness of the season and can’t quite let it go, so we turn our attention to the next best thing — New Years Eve.
And then there are the promises we make to ourselves — the private ones that we keep quiet about. Where we promise to be better organised next year; to start the gift shopping earlier and be ready ahead of time instead of frantically rushing to get that last-minute one.
Or the “New Years Resolutions” — those vows that we make to anyone who will listen, only to be forgotten about in a few weeks time. Gym memberships are purchased with the promise of that ever illusive fitness. Weight loss programs are started and then paused whilst we go out to dinner. Or where we swear that we are going to walk every day or go alcohol-free on weeknights. Promises we make with all good intentions but that fade away over the first few weeks of the new year.
One of mine was to write and publish a blogpost every week. So now I’ve declared it, you can hold me to account. Happy New Year. xxx