THE DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
The day after, it’s so befuddling. The day speaks to us all the same, but yet differently.
It’s confusing: Do I kick back and relax
It teases: Next year will be better.
It lies: If you had only gotten what you wanted.
The crumpled paper and candy wrappers littered the floor like confetti. The living room looked like a circus. If you’re honest, it kind of was.
Still by mid-day, the house was clean and empty. Sterile, even. The tree, though still up, lacks its luster. Family has since gone home, and we are left with our trinkets, maybe some leftovers, and heaven forbid, the classic fruitcake!
The loneliness starts to creep in as soon as finish our coffee. We begin to lament.
The mixed emotions of this day can collide and cloud our vision. Was it the best day of the year, or the worst? Did we find the spirit of Christmas? Did we recapture child-like wonder? Or did we lose another piece of our innocence to the cynicism of adulthood?
We think back to the day that seems so far away, so unapproachable. We sang, we danced, but still wished for more. We feasted and napped, but found no rest.
We waited and waited. And still, we waited more. For Christmas morning — when a child comes into the world and we become children again. But when it came in all its glory, it still felt like we were waiting.
Maybe we were.
How do you handle it?
Play those games! Go to the movies! Try on those gifts!
Get up and live!
Appreciate what you received, and thank whomever you pray too for another day!