Four Days of Christmas

Well, Christmas is officially over. I know this because the garbage man just threw our bag of wrapping and bows into the back of his truck. It was a lovely bag brimming with red and silver bows with coils of gold foil ribbon twisting themselves through the opening at the top.

In some cases, it took me nearly half an hour to decorate presents as I matched patterns, invisibly joined seams with double-sided tape and then embellished with ribbons and bows and delicate ornaments. I figure that if these gifts are going to wait quietly beneath the tree in my living room for weeks, they had better look sensational because they're basically accessories until the big day arrives. And then...it's over. Bows are snatched, ribbon is cut or stretched and then, at last, the paper is torn from the treasure it conceals to reveal the booty within --- a Fly Pen, an MP3 player, cologne, a wireless mouse. Things we can't live without.

There are some that believe Christmas comes and goes too quickly. There were moments, I felt this way, but in retrospect, it lasted for days this year.

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Day 1.
Christmas Eve we attended a candlelight service at the local church. It was wonderful. At one point, the preacher asked for all of the children to join him by the alter for a Christmas Story.

"The story," he said, " is told by the animals who attended the birth of the baby Jesus. There was a cat, a dog, a lamb, a donkey, and a camel. We don't have enough time to read the whole book but how about you choose which animal and I'll read you their story."

"Cat!" "Lamb!" "Donkey!" the children called at once. "LION!" hollered one little boy as the congregation snickered.

"I heard a lot of animals, but I think the most people wanted to hear from the cat," said preacher, and so he read how the cat arrived with one of the wise men and cleaned himself as he watched the baby Jesus stirring in the manger.

"What animal would you like to hear from next?" asked the preacher.

"Lamb!" "Camel!" and, in a slightly louder voice "Donkey!"

"I heard lots of animals, but I think most of you said that you wanted to hear from the lamb," preacher said, so he told the story in the voice of the gentle lamb.

"We have time for one more animal," he said.

"Camel, Camel!" yelled the kids together.

"I said Donkey!" hollered one little boy, clearly frustrated. "Donkey, Donkey, Donkey," he repeated loudly as he launched an unlit candle in the general direction of the preacher.

"Jacob," his mother hissed, "you stop that."

"I heard a lot of animals," the preacher tactfully continued, "but I think most of you want to hear from the donkey."

I couldn't see Jacob, but I'll assume he listened raptly to how the donkey carried Mary to Bethlehem, guided by Joseph.

It was a lovely service. Christmas Eve candlelight services are always stirring and sacred. I can't imagine a Christmas that didn't begin with a church service. After the service, we returned home and played games until we couldn't keep our eyes open.

Day 2.
Christmas day began at home with stockings, gift opening and a leisurely breakfast followed by a get-together at the in-laws that included more gifts and a sensational turkey dinner. It was a green Christmas and temperatures hovered just above zero. The children played outside in the hot tub as the grown ups chatted by the empty fireplace. We returned home by about 6 pm, exhausted from the day's activities. Twelve hours of Christmas.

Day 3.
After a night of restorative sleep we awoke to a thick, wet blanket of snow. We returned to the in-laws for a Boxing Day brunch and more gift opening with the rest of the family. Home by noon, I prepared the turkey, introduced it to the oven and promptly fell asleep sitting up in the chair. I awoke from my power nap well-prepared to finish making dinner, set the table and open the wine. It was our family Christmas together; just the four of us.

Day 4.
Two days later, we travelled to my brother's for more gift opening and dinner. For the first time in days, we included a salad on the menu. It was a real treat. Between you and me, I've had about all of the pastry that I can handle. Is there any other time of year when we offer between 8-12 desserts for every meal? Can someone help me understand the relationship between Christmas and dessert? I just don't get it.

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Four days. Four full days of Christmas. It doesn't go fast. If you think it goes fast, then try stretching it out. I have a friend that opens one gift each day starting on Christmas Eve. I don't know how the tradition began, but I do know that she loves the way it makes Christmas last.

Four days. Four full days of family. It passes as quickly as a long weekend, slowly at first and then more quickly as the end appears in sight. Once over, we reflect upon it with a longing that tricks us into believing it passed in a matter of moments. If we take the time to enjoy the memories of Christmas however, we remember that it lasted four days.

Four full days of Christmas.