Our Christmas tree and all accompanying decorations are neatly stowed away for another year. Those reading this may take a second look at the date, thinking an error has occured somewhere. Others will simply write it off as another example of procrastination. While I have not been without my own moments of procrastination (to put it mildly), this is not one of those unnecessary delays. The prolonged date for Christmas wrap-up has nothing to do with laziness but everything to do with reluctance. My reticence this year comes from a complex mix of things. First, I love Christmas and everything that goes along with it. The joy I share with my wife and family in preparing for Christmas and celebrating the days before the Christ-mass is exhilirating. This year's cold weather and especially our white Christmas Eve and still white Christmas morning (OK, white in patches), added to my festive spirit. I love a lighted Christmas tree glowing in the corner of the den until bedtime, surrounded by a mosaic of packages in assorted shapes, sizes, and density. Bing Crosby is our annual holiday companion as he croons "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" and portrays our favorite Irish priest of all time, Father O'Malley, in "Going My Way" and "Bells of St. Mary's." But this year's reluctance to close out the season may come from a deeper awareness of the brevity of life than from my fascination with this sacred holy day. Standing on the brink of 50 has caused much soul-searching on my part over the past couple of months and has forced me, this year, to face squarely the fact that I've already celebrated more Christmases than I have left to celebrate. Sobering realization! I never thought much about being in the second half of my life until recently when I realized that truly less than half of my life is all that remains. No doubt I will record numerous journal entries this year connected to this theme, but, for today, suffice it to say that I really hate to see another Christmas end. My prayer is that I will celebrate every remaining Christmas, holiday, birthday, well--every day, with a sense of awe and reverence. Now... St. Valentine's Day!
