Something happened between 9:30 pm last night and 5 am this morning. Something horrible. Like a car slamming on its brakes at a red light, Christmas stopped. The moment the alarm went off it was like something had died. I could see it in my wife’s eyes as well as my sleepy eyed employees who walked in the door at 7am sharp. It was a horribly cruel irony that now we were entering the bleak cold of winter with nothing to look forward to but the slow warming of spring.
It was cold to be sure prior to 5 am today. Cold, windy, wet, foggy. The weather played all its little winter tricks. But something had been different. It hadn’t seemed as cold. Perhaps it was the heat from the tiny little colored bulbs on the houses and trees. Maybe it was the extra calories I consumed in the wide array of chocolates and cookies that seemed to flow without a care in the world. Or it could have been the warm, cheerful music that spoke of peace on earth, good will towards men.
I don’t know what exactly it was but now it seems suddenly gone. Like some thief came and took it away and I’m left to wonder where it went and how I can get it back. When I look into the eyes of my fellow employees I can see they want it back also. Four days before as they made merry, eating Christmas treats, and enjoying the company luncheon of prime rib, I wonder if they knew that in a few more days it would be over and they would be back to the daily drudgery and the long cold winter.
It seemed somehow wrong as I stumbled into the local stores seeing all the discount signs on the left-over Christmas items. The neon lights overhead seemed too bright, maybe you could even say they appeared cold. The unwanted decorations, trees, lights, and knickknacks, seemed sad too as they sat there waiting to be scooped up by some bargain hunter. I could see the same sadness in the clerk’s eyes as I paid for the few items I needed for work. And that store, lighting that was so warm and cheery a few days earlier now seemed too bright, cold, and unforgiving.
The year is nearly over and that makes me sad. I really liked this year and could have kept it going if it were up to me. But life invariably travels forward. This year will be over and the next begun in a blink of an eye. New Year’s Day seems somehow hollow when compared with the previous week.
What made it different and why do I lament the passing of a single day and the days leading up to it? Surely it cannot be the tree dropping needles on my living room carpet, the crowded malls, or the disheveled guy with a fake beard and horribly tailored red suit being screamed at by kids. What made it different?
Could it have been that for a short time the season that celebrates the One who came with peace on earth, good will towards men changed us, even those who don’t subscribe to such? Perhaps the reason for the season really does matter, else why would the memories of Christmas past mean so much to us now? Perhaps that is why we feel a sense of loss at the passing of this time of year which cannot be replaced by another sale, trip to the mall, or sweet treat. It wasn’t about those things whether we recognized it or not. It was about a baby, born in humble circumstances, so long ago who saved us all.
