By the Light of the Christmas Tree

We have not one, but two Christmas trees still up in our house. The outside lights are still up as well.

And you know what? I'm in no hurry to take them down.

Most of the Christmas decor has been dismantled, thanks to my industrious husband, but these two trees linger, gently lighting the rooms and creating a warmth inside that counteracts the polar vortex temperatures outside.

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This is our first year for multiple trees. It's not as though we live in a mansion -- the trees are a mere two
rooms (two-and-a-half, if you count the hallway) apart -- one in the dining room, one in the former playroom-turned man cave. The latter is a small tree -- about four feet tall -- and a perfect fit for the back corner of the room, as long as you scoot forward a bit on the sofa. Our "regular" tree is in the dining room, which is probably the room in our house that sees the most traffic. Both are artificial, in deference to my allergies.

Every morning, the first person up (usually my husband) turns on the dining room tree. Later in the day, I turn on the tree in the back room. And every time we turn them on, I smile -- something I also do with fair frequency every time I pass by them.

It's not as though the house will be bare once the trees go. For probably a decade, I've been putting up snowmen when I take down the Christmas decorations. Most years, they give way to Valentine's Day decorations and, if I'm still motivated when those come down, bunnies and flowers and pastels for Easter.

And it's not as though I'm clinging to Christmas. I'm happily ensconced in a new year, moving forward, making plans. Those plans just don't include taking down the trees  -- at least not yet.

If it weren't totally ridiculous, I'd probably leave the trees up until spring. By then, longer days, more sunshine and warmer temperatures would make them obsolete. Mother Nature would be warming and lighting even the corners and crevices of the house, and soft, comforting lighting would no longer be a bring-your-own-lantern deal.

But in reality, the trees' days are numbered. the deeper into January we go, the more obsolete they become. And one day soon, I'll know it's time.

Until then, I'll enjoy the ambient glow of one of my favorite seasons for as long as I can because before I know it, it will be time to groan about dragging out the very decorations I don't want to put away.

Merry New Year.