Ghosts of Christmas Past

The month of January is over, and Christmas is a very distant memory for me. I think MOST of the bills incurred during the last minute flurry of shopping are paid for, although there may be a stray one on the Visa bill that just came in yesterday. But, I'm glad January is over, it is the month I dread the most. February usually harbors a day or two with a hint of spring in the air, although there can be some mighty wicked winter blasts during February also.

Remember Feb. 1982, when our area was paralyzed under about 18" of snow. We were snowed in for a week! It's legendary in our neck-of-the-woods, the mid-west!

So all that talk about snow leads me to think that Christmas celebrations should really be over by now! Of course, my BFF just celebrated Christmas with her one daughter this past weekend, but my guess is the only sign of Christmas at this celebration was maybe some Christmas paper, CERTAINLY NOT A CHRISTMAS TREE!

But some people just don't get the message, IT'S OVER, FOLKS! On Friday night, I went to a church gathering in a nice part of town, where old Victorian homes are kept up-to-date by the tender loving care of their owners. Here I saw a complete outside display of lights, all Christmasy in color, still brightly shining all around this home. I must say, it stands out in the neighborhood now, as the only one that is lit up by anything but a 75 watt porchlight.

Then last night, on my way home from the play, I saw a triptyck (triple) window with two candelabra in the side windows, flanking a window with a lit up Christmas tree in it! COME ON, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR CALENDAR? CHRISTMAS IS OVER!

Now I must admit, my Christmas items just got put away this past week, but at least I didn't have the nerve to light them up since the first week in January. And one day last week, my outdoor Christmas lights on the eaves disappeared, the company that installs them took them away some time during the day. So, if it is over for me, IT SHOULD BE OVER FOR EVERYBODY!

So let's see who can see the last Chrismas display of the year. I'll post when I see one, and you can comment if you see one.

My mother-in-law, God bless her soul, loved Christmas so much, she kept her tree up til her birthday. That was Feb. 16. Who can top that record?