Procrastinator-procrastinating-procrastinated!

Ok! So it is now the 31st of January and at 10pm I can finally say I have all my Christmas decorations down! Never in my life have I let this task go undone this long past the holidays. This year was different for me. My girls put the trees up and decorated them and they were so awesome, I just hated to dismantle them.

On top of that, my 19 month old grandson, Donovan, was so awed by the tree, he would nearly quiver when he looked at it, and trust me, look at it, he did! Many times over! He would so fondly view the items within his reach and sight range and just simply stare at some of them. The tiny Christmas balls in shades of neutral browns from Pier One seemed to be his favorites. Blown glass and decorated with glitter, they fit perfectly in his tiny little hands. He would gently pick them up, roll them around and carry them double-fisted from room to room. In all, we only had one misshap and I thought it was going to undo him; however, we assured him it was okay, and it was just as quickly cleaned up and forgotten.

Funny how things change. Broken balls, cracked keepsakes used to be enough to send me over the edge. Now it is just what it is-a broken something, cleaned up and replaced when necessary.

I was thinking about all these things today as I sorted and wrapped and packed for next year. How we as women, inherit the tasks of decorations and trees and Christmas stockings and wreaths and all the paraphernalia that surrounds that magical time of year. It seems to be "our" work to make all these things appear and then evenly disappear. In my household, at least, the men disappear to do "manly things" whilest I am left with the umpteen plastic bins! I wondered to myself why it is this way, rolling all sorts of ideas around in my head, analyzing the masqueline and the feminine of it all.

After about an hour of this nonsense (yes I said nonsense!) IT dawned on me that two reasons may very well propel us to this task on each year:

First, it is what we are taught as little girls and later as young women, helping to dress and undress the tree. A certain method to the madness. You know the one-tree first, then lights, then garlands, then pearls. The larger balls, then the smaller ones and last but not least, the sundry other items we save as keepsakes from year to year. Somehow, in this ritual, as we learn it, we also learn about our forebearers-the Moms and Grandmoms who have undertaken this task from year to year and then passed it on.

Second and I believe even more important, we as women do this because we long to savor the looks on our grandson's face when he is amazed by the glitter, the sounds of the Holidays, the smells, yes the presents! We long to have that because it not only makes us feel young again, we are also being useful. We are creating, just as our Moms did, a legend, a history, a path on a highway for our young ones and in doing so, we are keeping those who we have lost, alive. It gives greater meaning to know that our hearts and hands are touching the past as well as the future and we are doing it in none other than the Present or Presence of He who it is all about.

As I thought about this, a calmness took over and the once looming task became such a little nuisance--one I am more than sure I will repeat for many years to come.

Thank you Jesus-for the opportunity to be of service and do it in Love.