Sunday, December 29, 2013

Christmas comes but once a year....(but it lasts for more than a day)

I'll admit it - I don't get this rush to be done with Christmas by midnight on December 25th.  I guess if you've been berated by Christmas decorations and carols at the mall since late October it comes as a relief to know that part of Christmas is over.  Where my husband works, the holiday tree was already down by December 23rd.

Being a part of the Plymouth UCC community means the days after Christmas are filled with Boarshead and Yule Log festival rehearsal and services.  I've never been part of the cast, but my son is. I've been one of the parents who helps out in child care with the young actors.  Mike and I went out to dinner last night. Just the two of us. To a restaurant that only serves those over 21!  Lovely!  We then went to the 8:00 service of Boarshead.  It was wonderful.  This year Pete is a joust.  That means he wears a horse costume and pretends to take on the other joust in bouts of bravery. All during a medieval Christmas celebration in the manor house with lords and ladies, peasants, and servants watching on.


But is it more than the Boarshead Festival that makes me glad that Christmas season is longer than just a day.  How much freight can one day be expected to carry?  What if your gift was lost in  UPS or FedEx?  What if you woke up feeling crummy on the 25th?  Is the whole of Christmas now lost?  The beauty of letting the Christmas season be just that, a season is that you have until the Feast of Epiphany on January 6th to enjoy your 12 Days of Christmas.  Time for more music, more get-togethers with family or friends. Time to slow the pace down just a bit and savor the season.

Living car-free has caused me to dial back the tempo on some things in my life, just because the option to pack too much into one small period of time is less available.  And it is something I've discovered I enjoy.  Letting Christmas stretch over its 12 days is not something new to me since going car-free, but it does reinforce an option I'm glad I have!

Merry Christmas all!



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