Our Christmas tree is still up. We never seem to get it up very early and it's so beautiful I hate to take it down. I think we put it up about a week before Christmas this year. My husband has had some serious back issues this past year.
So the tree was brought into the house and successfully adorned with lights and ornaments.
The first lighting is always a magical moment. I love Christmas.
As my children are all adults now, the very best part of Christmas is having everyone home, all together. With Zach and Anne back in town, this has become possible to do more often. My youngest son, Jim, is in grad. school in Dallas, but he comes home a few times a year. My oldest son, Mike, is in South Bend, Indiana and he comes home every month or two. It's just a 3 hour drive or so.
It had been since last Christmas that the entire family had been together at the same time.
Then, to make the celebration even more special, to my husband and me, our three sons, three daughters, and one son-in-law, we added a girlfriend, my sister and brother, three nephews, and my favorite niece! It is just barely possible to extend our Amish table long enough to seat the sixteen of us. I love having everyone at the same table!
And so the Christmas tree is still up, as I savor the joy of having celebrated this great feast with the people I love. Today is the traditional day on which the Epiphany is celebrated, January 6. I remember that my mother would never take the Christmas tree down until after the Epiphany. So that's my excuse, even though the rest of the culture I live in has long stopped celebrating.
As Catholics we will celebrate liturgically until next Sunday, I believe.
What's the rush. I have a beautiful, living tree in my living room. It's fragrance is sweet and I am reminded of the birthday of the precious Prince of Peace for whom I live.
God is good. All the time.
2 comments:
I thought of this today because our tree in MO is still up :) I remember when we were in Rome that the Christmas decorations in St. Peter's Square stayed up until the Feast of the Presentation on February 2nd. I know it's ordinary time now, but I received some Christmas decorations as gifts on Christmas, and I'm still enjoying them!
<3 Kelsey
I really don't see any rush to take them down. We keep our decorations up for a long time. I was happy to see several Christmas trees in our neighborhood still up well for several weeks after Christmas and even still lit in their front windows. I love Christmas decorations too, Kelsey. Glad you're still enjoying some.
Post a Comment