"Put the tinsel down,"
she said.

"But…but, I'm not ready,"
I protested.

"We have to put this stuff away.
We've talked about this."

"But why?
Why do we have to put it away?
Why not leave it up all year?"

"Because if it were up all year,
it would have no meaning next December.
It's the nature of seasonal things–
each is beautiful in its time.
Think of the joy we'd miss
between now and then
if all the other seasons
were overshadowed
by this one–
they would resent it,
and Christmas would be too tired
to really shine come year's end.
We all need our rest, yes?"

"I suppose,"
I said.

And so we put Christmas away,
while I, without her seeing,
hid an ornament or two (or maybe three)
between the sofa cushions,
just to help me through the year,
just to remember,
just to keep my promise…

Text and image © 2014 by Dirk deVries. All rights reserved.