One. Last. Night.

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again…

The end of the holiday season always turns me all “Disney Peter Pan’y” about things.

The sad truth is I totes have to give myself a pep talk before I say goodbye to all things holiday for another year.  Convincing myself that it will be November again before I know it, so it is ok to let it go now.

I start searching for reasons to leave the decorations up…

“No one will take anything down in this cold weather!”   :::: promptly heats up to the 50s:::  (crap)

“Oh, the tree stays up until Epiphany,”  (according to a meme posted on FB by an author I know and love, of a quote I had forgotten from Downton Abbey, so DUH, MANDITORY.)

“On the front range we leave our exterior lights up through the end of the National Western Stock Show”  – The Mr is NOT from CO, and NOT having any of this…. Those lights are down already, leaving my wreath looking oh-so-very lonely (rude.)

“This is not a holiday decoration, it’s WINTER DÉCOR!”  Said while snuggling under a snowflake quilt (which I was using to hide my santa socks that you can pry off me IF YOU EFFING DARE.)

“But Jr loves his holiday toys/ coloring books/TV Shows/etc”    Queue heavy sigh from the kiddo while his crazy mom spreads out Santa coloring sheets and starts the Nina’s World Hanukkah special on the DVR. AGAIN.

I get it.  I am out of excuses…  it. Is time.

And so tomorrow, (Epiphany, for those subscribe to that theory, btw,) I will give in.   The Mr will drag up the storage bins out of the basement storage area, and I will wrap and cushion and pack…  Un-decking the halls and un-trimming the trees.  I promise, I really will.

But tonight…  January 5^th, 2018?  Tonight, the tree will glow, the fire will crackle under the bough-covered mantle, flannel Christmas jammies will be worn as we color pictures of trees and dreidels and  elves building snowmen while watching Merry Christmas Charlie Brown ONE LAST TIME.  Tonight I will settle in, after everyone else is asleep, to listen to carols and drink a Candy Cane Lane hot toddy in the glow of the tree lights and get all wishy-washy and misty-eyed… and maybe fall asleep with Binky the wonder dog laying on my lap nuzzling my Rudolph slipper.

Tonight still belongs to Christmas, in all the amazing ways my family celebrates the season.

Tomorrow will come soon enough.