Goodbye Christmas '13

It's Epiphany Eve. The twelfth day of Christmas. The last night for lights and decorations until next year. It has been a very busy and thoroughly exhausting celebration this year. A very joyful one, too.

From Austin's school play, to Disneyland, to buying trees with my grandson and later my son, to the most surprising present from my middle daughter, dinner at my eldest daughters, and so much more.

It is a celebration marred only by my prodigal daughter who could not rise to the spirit of the season. But there is always hurt in life, it seems. The joys of the season were very deep and very dear and will not soon be forgotten.

As always, I am terribly sad to take down the decorations. But next year will come. And I will enjoy them again. Also I will enjoy my family. And I will again be very happy.