It’s Official, The Holidays are Over

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Just when I was getting into the holidays, they’re over. Gone in a flash. Before you could say, “Ho, ho, ho,” it was, “Bye, bye, bye.”DSC00005

Yes. The joyous season is over. Want to know how I finally figured it out?  For starters, I just ran out of the last drop of candy cane-scented anti-bacterial hand soap. Ditto for the holly berry wreath soap I kept by the kitchen sink. What’s more, the sugar cookie and fresh balsam scented candles I bought back in October, have met their last match, having melted down to tiny bits of wax.

Now, I may be no Sherlock Holmes, but I deduced the holiday season to be a goner when I used the last paper towel with dancing gingerbread men to wipe up a spill, sneezed into the last tissue from a box bedecked with with purple snowmen, and used the sole remaining snowman and penguin-decorated paper plate to eat the very last of my daughter’s homemade cookies.

Though if truth be told, there’s one more limited edition, pumpkin spice frozen waffle somewhere in the freezer. It’s been in there so long, it’s become embedded in layers of ice, stuck in the freezer’s hinterlands, and just waiting for some poor soul to fetch it from its resting place. Any takers?

The last vestages of the holiday are now all gone.

The last vestiges of the holiday are now all gone.

As for the half-eaten candy cane that lay in a sandwich bag on the kitchen counter for nearly a month, with the expectation that it would be polished off at any given moment, you’ll find it at the bottom of the kitchen trash. Too bad, because I know a certain Cavalier King Charles Spaniel who had his eye on it. (Better luck next year, Henry!)

Yes, the holiday season is over, though, if I’m not mistaken, it is almost Valentine’s Day. Which, as everyone in America knows, leads to Presidents’ Day, followed in March by Cesar Chavez Day (at least, in some states, anyway). And, so on. You get the picture.

Which is why, I’m still saying,

Season’s Greetings!

After all, why confine this festive salutation to just a certain time of year? Holidays abound all year long and, technically, every quarter brings a new season—winter, spring, summer or fall–right? So, why not say “Season’s Greetings” all year long?

If you ask me, everyday should be a reason to celebrate the joy each season brings. Heck, the fact that we’re alive is a good enough reason to be gathering with friends and family, and having good tidings and all that.

Frankly, I don’t need scented soaps and candles, decorations and gingerbread cookies in order to have goodwill toward all. Nor do I need to have a box of tissues, adorned with snowmen, in order to declare, joy to the world.

All I need is fresh air to breathe, a song in my heart, and a skip in my walk. All I need is knowing that it’s a new day and I have family and friends who appreciate me, and I them.

And, taking my cue from one of my favorite Christmas songs, all I need is you, my many readers who indulge me by visiting my blog, and sharing lovely sentiments in your comments.

In other words, there’s no reason to end the holiday spirit just because December has passed, January is on the wane, and the holiday-bedecked products are nowhere to be found. Let’s continue to spread the good cheer!

Let’s remember that life is worth living and that good friends are worth their weight in gold.

And, to all the cynics out there who think I’m just another Pollyanna, no worries. Before you know it, the holiday season will once again be upon us, and you will be once again safe in the cocoon of “holiday” commercialism. Count on that.

For the rest of us, we’re always going to be in one season or another. So, say it with me, and shout it from the rafters:

SEASON’S GREETINGS!

Now tell me. What will you do to keep the holiday spirit going?

33 thoughts on “It’s Official, The Holidays are Over”

  1. I love this post, Monica! Especially the line about the scented candle having met its last match. Well said!

    I don’t know that I’m doing much of anything to keep the holiday spirit going. Preparing to move seems to make me fall further and further behind. Thus, I late reading of this post!

    Oh, well, Season’s Greetings, my friend!

    Holiday Hugs,
    Kathy

    • Kathy, you’re the only person who seems to have caught my attempt at a pun. Thank you! I know how it is when getting ready for a move. You’re completely focused on getting it done. Good luck with it! Can’t wait to hear about your adventures!

  3. Amen, sister! I love the positive note of this post! And I agree–the good cheer of the holidays should permeate throughout the year. You’ll find no bah humbugs from me. I’m all about spreading cheer! Season’s greetings, chica! 🙂

    • Bells, it’s so easy to get caught up in everyday life and forget to look for the good and appreciate what’s in front of us. And I know you’ve had some health issues of late. But looking at the bright side reminds us that there are people who think we’re special, who enjoy our blogs, and who make us feel good. I adore you, Bella, and only wish we had more time to chat! Kisses for La Roxy!

  6. I love your spirit. The best thing is to be with family and friends, but that doesn’t happen all the time, so I’m glad — yeah — I look forward to things in January and February like the Golden Globes, the latest figure skating compeition televised on network TV, a new episode of Downton Abbey, the HGTV sweepstakes dream home entries, the superbowl playoffs and yes, the superbowl to buoy that seasonal spirit. No, I don’t watch all these things in one year, but over several — I just know they’re there and turn to them for a pick me up. Am I shallow? An Olympic winter games is the best after the holidays, but not this year. 🙂

    • Wow, you’ve mentioned many things to look forward to this time of year. You’ve inspired me to make a list of my own.

      Btw, did you see the last episode of Downton? A bit of a weeper, if you ask me.

  7. I don’t know if you noticed, I am a bit of a grinch. Valentines Day, no hate this one really a great deal (try growing up with my name).

    I have disliked formal holidays most of my adult life. I think it is the commercialism surrounding them. I would rather make my own holidays. Surround myself with family and friends for no reason other than I love them and want to hang out. I know strange.

    But for you Monica……Seasons Greetings indeed.

    • Val, I hadn’t noticed you to be a grinch. But if you aren’t keen on holidays, then just focus on the seasons and be glad it’s almost spring, which means fresh flowers, and sunshine and ladybugs and butterflies! I’m not fond of Valentine’s because my ex ruined it for me when he proposed to me on a Valentine’s Day many years ago. I’m over him of course, but still, I can’t think about the holiday without remembering the proposal. And we all know how that ended up… 😉

    • You know, Jodi, I was thinking of you as I wrote this for you and your posts inspire me to strive for emotional well-being. It means so much to me to know you enjoy my posts. Thank you!

  9. Well, as it happens I stumbled upon a new character and started a story that places place in around the Yule. Now I am immersed in research and writing. The holidays will be with me for the next several months. I might need a summer get away soon.

  10. The Christmas decorations are safely tucked away, but I’m getting ready for St. Pat’s Day — so you see, I, too, am playing Pollyanna! So much of winter is drab and cloudy that I think it’s important for our mental health to focus on something sunny and positive. Extending the season’s greetings might be just the ticket!

    • Yay, Debbie! St. Paddy’s Day is practically around the corner. It’s easy to get the winter doldrums, but you’re right. Focusing on the positive gives your mood a much needed lift this time of year. Season’s Greetings, pal!

  11. My spiced chestnut hand soap, dish soap and lotion are still going strong, Monica 😉 I will be celebrating the New Year with you, well into June. Then I celebrate the beginning of Summer and plan for Thanksgiving and Christmas, once the girls go back to school. In Australia, June is a little Christmassy because it is Winter. I remember wanting to celebrate Christmas in June, instead of December when it’s warm. Season’sGreetings to you too my friend, I celebrate our virtual friendship as I celebrate all my friends who mean the world to me.

  12. I’m always a victim of the January blahs. To cheer myself up, I’m going to adopt your attitude and celebrate every holiday this year, no matter how small.

  14. In this neck of woods come the end of August some of the big shops will have the decorations out.

    It’s tradition here that the first of the summer holiday (vacation) advertisements appear on Boxing Day.

    We have lots of holidays through the year, some say too many!!

    I finished the last of the holiday jelly beans yesterday, it was a sad occasion.

    • Glad you agree, Lisa. Makes me sad when we confine the joyful sentiment to just 5 or 6 weeks, depending on when Thanksgiving falls. So, good for you, good for me and good for all of us! 😉

  16. No, I’m about done. The 31th is the last day I say “Happy New Year.” Then the holidays are over for me. The holidays were really over when the amaryllis wilted. It was magnificent while it lasted but now it’s gone the way dried up plants go and the holidays are over for me until next year. C’est la vie.

    • Season’s Greetings, Marie! I hope you’re enjoying the best of winter’s offerings and celebrating the holidays of the season. I myself am looking forward to Presidents’ Day. As a kid, I enjoyed learning about George Washington and his cherry tree, Abe Lincoln and how he’d walk miles to school in the snow and in his bare feet. Thanks for stopping by!

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