News Flash: Christmas is Over!

I often have a hard time giving up Christmas. It's my favorite holiday and there is so much build-up, with the decorations, Christmas programs, shopping, music, etc., that by the time it's over, I feel like a junkie coming off a drug cold turkey. I often get depressed after Christmas. I resist the end by refusing to take down decorations. Once, I left the tree up until Valentine's Day. Last year, I had found an anti-depressant that had worked wonders with me. I had no "post-Christmas let-down." I took the tree down two days after Christmas. But, with all my life changes this year, I had insurance changes too and had to give up my anti-depressants.

I had thought this year might be easier on me since we decorated slightly earlier, giving me more time to enjoy the season, and since my life is significantly better than it has been in the past. But, the busyness made it fly by. First there was the divorce/court, then our wedding, followed closely by our trip to California. After that, we had our Christmas, Christmas with my family in Wichita, the kids went to their dad's, and Christmas with Scott's mom. You'd think all that Christmas celebration would have lengthened it for me, but it didn't. After all that, it was off to our honeymoon cruise. We got back and January was more than half over and I begin to wonder where the time and the season went.

We finally had time (and I was motivated and had conceded) yesterday. It was time because with the construction of the addition to our house, we are rearranging rooms and furniture and buying some new. We bought some new couches the other day at Nebraska Furniture Mart so we had to make room to move things around. We put away the decorations and today put the storage tubs back in their place in the basement.

While my new life situation has significantly reduced my stress and depression levels, I have always had a tendency towards depression. Maybe inherited, maybe just me. So, don't judge me if I still listen to Christmas music or watch Christmas shows to get me through!