When Did Christmas Become Just Another Day?

I stopped putting up a tree when the kids moved out.

When they were little, even though I enjoyed having a decorated house for the Holidays, I dreaded taking out that box of ornaments and tangled lights. And then there was the wreath on the front door that would stay up until February.

One year, one of my neighbours came over and told me that it was bad luck to leave it up that long.

I never put it up again after that.

Once we got started, I enjoyed decorating the house. The kids would get all excited and eager to help.

Now that they all live in their own places, they still love putting up a tree and decorating their respective homes. But like I said before, I don’t have the energy for that anymore.

I don’t get excited because all of that decorating takes a ton of time. And then when the time comes to take it all down…

When the kids were little, they would ask “Mom, what do you want for Christmas?” And my answer would always be the same, “Peace and quiet”.

I know. I sound a lot like the Grinch.

The person who bottles peace and quiet for a family with children at Christmas will be extremely wealthy.