Christmas in July

As if the required yearly schedule of Thanksgiving isn't enough to obsess on in one day, I add a whole other level of overachieving to the mix.... Christmas decor!  I begin by piping a local radio station through the intercom so it permeates the whole house... loudly.  All Christmas music, all the time.  This is immediately followed by groans and gags from my husband and singing and dancing by my daughter.  My son looks at me like I am crazy, but that happens most days.  Then the boxes descend from the "holiday closet".  It is after all the most wonderful time of the year.  I am not certain who originally coined it as such, but I recall vividly why it is so important to me. 

I slice my hands on the synthetic needles, as I pour my blood and sweat into arranging every branch in perfect unity.  This is symbolic to the workings of my life, theoretically.  Every branch has a specific direction it reaches to attain, pointing to an interior sun, as it stretches toward the light. Then the wrapping begins.  Warm twinkling cords that embrace every limb, shades of blue, white, purple, and pink.  Quite nontraditional color choices, I know.  However this too has a purpose, striving toward perfect family unity.  Each color represents a favorite of my family and the white represents the purity of our love.  The next several hours are a heartwarming trip down memory lane.  Each piece of plastic, glass, and ceramic is gingerly unwrapped and caressed.  I reflect on the time and place they were acquired.  So many years... so much love.  Handmade, store bought, love inspired... this is where the season truly embraces my soul, topped with an angel to guard over all that I love. 

As the days toward Christmas pass, the anticipation grows within. The perfect gifts, wrapped in color coordinated paper and matching bows, trickle around the tree day by day like a rising tide. Plans are made, friends are remembered, ultimate sacrifices are appreciated, family is gathered... life blooms anew on the cold winter days. The day arrives and in the wee hours of the morning, after all of the preparation and perfecting, the sound of feet tromping down the stares rouses my husband and I from our short lived slumber.  The traditions continue with glitter-adorned Santa hats and blinking reindeer antlers, as we gather on the floor around the tree that embodies our every day.  This year we introduce the wide-eyed infant son to the joys of ripping paper, musical ornaments and a house full of laughter.  It lasts two hours tops...

Then the expectation of society intrudes like a thunderstorm. Pack it up...shut it down...

"But wait!!!" my heart pleads... "Tradition states I don't have to disassemble the memories until New Year's Day"  Phew... time has been stilled. 

January 1st arrives... Again... Box up your cherished moments and stash them in the dark...

Why... Why must society allow us the pleasure of these moments for such a limited time? Shouldn't we honor this love and excitement every day?  This is why I am an avid advocate for Christmas in July... and June... and May... et al.