Hey Everyone! I haven't been around too much on this forum the last couple of seasons, but I hope I'm still welcome. I feel like I should post at least once before the 2018 season gets wished away completely.
I'm at that point where the days feel really weird and off now that the holidays are over. I swear, early January is always the toughest. Always. And just when you think you've finally got a hold of it, it still doesn't get any easier. I can't help it. Months go by, from as far back as mid-August, where you can rely on it being "the season" (or at least rely on knowing what's ahead). And then come early January, it just isn't there anymore. It really does take getting used to and having to re-learn what life is like without it. I even have to remind myself throughout the day that it's okay for it not to be the holidays. Admittedly, it's the only time of year where I feel truly alone. Everyone seems to have completely moved on from it, everyone seems like they've been completely moved on from it. Yet here I am, still feeling like it's within my grasp and trying to hold onto it, being that it was here just a few days ago.
I know we can all drum up the 12 Days excuse to keep it going. I know it's nice to see who keeps up their decorations in the neighborhood the longest. You can even stretch it as far as Candlemas if you so choose. Everyone's always suggesting to keep it going in your own way throughout the year. We all have our own little ways. And I do all of those things, with different factors each year kind of determining just how much.
But for me, it's that stark shift from January 1st to January 2nd that is always the definitive moment where it's no longer the season, and where the reality of it being over sets in.
By the middle of the month all of these emotions will have passed. I'll even laugh at myself over it. But like I said, it just amazes me each year that it never does get any easier.
Anyways, I have some things coming up in my life that are going to bring about some major changes. I want to thank everyone here for letting me be a part of this forum. This is the only place that I'm able to fully express my love for the holidays. As well as my missing it when it's over. And the only place where I know that the people I'm telling it to also understand it. So thank you all for that.
Happy New Year Everyone!