Extending the Christmas Season

I love Christmas, but it has its downside. There's a month (or more) of build-up, climaxing on the 24th and 25th with a mad frenzy of presents, partying, and palate-pleasing feasts. Then, on the 26th, you're forced to go cold turkey (both figuratively and sometimes literally, depending on what you had for Christmas dinner). Sure, there's always New Years Eve, but it's just not the same. By the time TBS has aired its last showing of the "Christmas Story" 24-hour marathon, I'm generally feeling pangs of post-holiday malaise.

Thankfully, you can let yourself down more easily when you live in the heart of Tourist Land. Now that I live in Celebration, I can cling to Christmas just a little bit longer. Because of all the holiday vacationers, the special events typically run until January 1st or beyond. That gives me an additional week to slip in a few more Yuletide activities. For example, Ice at the Gaylord Palms runs until January 2, and I can sneak over to Epcot to hear the story of the Nativity yet again at the Candlelight Processional until New Years Eve. The Osborne lights will blaze at Disney-MGM Studio until January 8, and the special show at the Dixie Stampede should be running at least until early January.

There are remnants of Christmas closer to home, too. I thought that the Celebration snowfalls ended on the 25th, but they actually run until New Years. They're not quite as impressive as they were during the peak season; my husband rode his bike downtown tonight and reported a light crowd and a barely-soaped-up street, but it's still better than nothing. At least it's a gradual let-down rather than abruptly pulling the plug.

It's a little easier to remain in my personal Fantasyland now that I work at home. When I used to go to an office every day, the stretch of time between December 26th and 31st was a weird Twilight Zone period of emptiness when over half the company was out on vacation. The hallways were a vast wasteland, and most of the offices and cubicles remained dark. The few employees who actually showed up didn't do much work, since business always seemed to go on hold just before the New Year. Instead, we'd all sit around indulging in leftover holiday treats and commiserating on the post-Christmas letdown.

Now, I can boot up my laptop and click the cable TV box to "Sounds of the Season" before I get down to business. As I work, I can list to carols and pretend it's still Christmastimewhile plan a fun holiday event for the evening.

But I can't stave off reality forever. After the first week in Janaury, I finally have to accept the fact that the Christmas season is over and a fresh new year has begun. Even when you live next door to Mickey Mouse, you can't stop the onward march of time. Oh well, I still enjoy those few extra days...just another advantage of living in Florida.

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