Today is December 26th and in many cultures it’s the day after Christmas. I’ve always kind of hated this day. You see, there is all this build-up going into Christmas, starting right after Halloween. All the decorations start going up, sales being advertised up, down and all-around you. I get excited about the day. I love looking at all the decorations in my neighborhood and I truly love buying presents for my loved ones. I enjoy watching my favorite Christmas movies. It’s all very nice.

Then the day comes and while I don’t get as excited about Christmas morning as I did when I was a child, I still enjoy the sharing of food, the smiles and sometimes the tears of the day. The day comes to an end and POW! The day is over and life is back to its regular self the next day. Decorations start to come down and all the junk that didn’t sell for presents are marked down.

This year Christmas was a little different. It was hard to not think about those who are really struggling both physically and mentally. But I also felt some hope. What will the next year bring? I know that things won’t exactly be back to “normal” but I have some hope that things may be a little brighter come Christmas 2021.

I usually don’t take down my decorations until the new year, enjoying every last minute sparkle that I can soak in. Maybe this time, I’ll keep them up just a little bit longer. What harm is there is enjoying whatever brings you some joy right now?