Ordinarily, I am a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas and, in particular, the Christmas Season.

We always learned that The Epiphany, January 6th, marked the day the Magi gave their gifts of Gold, Frankincense, and Murr to the newborn Messiah. Therefore, the Christmas season extended to January 6th.

No matter that we usually went back to school before this date, in my view, Christmas was still going on.

The tree was still up and decorated (unless it was a real tree, which would be long gone by now.)

My trains were still set up.

My new toys still retained their newness and were probably driving my mother crazy, still strewn across the living room floor.

Today, January 1st, the new year barely 12 hours old, I am ready to move on and leave Christmas early.

No matter how I tried to keep the season as I had always done for the last sixty-plus years (assuming my early years were not really in my power to commemorate a season of any type), it just wasn’t the same.

I don’t mean to complain about that either because so many people have much more to complain about than I, and it would be grossly disrespectful to them to moan about my Christmas.

Still, I have had some justification for feeling less than jolly this yuletide season.

I haven’t seen my children in over a year, and there is a cute little guy in the Bronx who I have yet to see in person.

Thank God for Zoom and FaceTime.

As I prepared to spend New Year’s Eve last night, I thought of last year.

At that time, Eileen and I were booked for a trip to London and Dublin.
Then, when we got back, we would go up to New York for my birthday.
Those trips were quickly quashed, but we were soon given new hope for another trip.

Our daughter was due to have our first grandchild in December, so, in June, anticipating that the worst would be behind us, speaking pandemicly, we booked a trip to New York for December 1st.

We even built in a fourteen-day quarantine period just in case.

Well, the worst was not behind us, and we had to cancel that trip as well.

Nevertheless, I have no reason to complain, and I really don’t think I am.
Relating this is just my way of justifying bailing out on the Christmas season.

Last night I wrote about Faith, Hope, and Charity, and I hope to maintain these virtues as 2021 progresses. We have to remain positive in the face of such challenges, but we have the example that our parents have provided, and, like them, we will overcome 2020 and make 2021 a better year for us all.

Happy New Year, once again.