We felt a twinge of sadness as we pulled down our Christmas tree and heaved it onto the rubbish heap. Up and down the street our neighbors had done the same, and the parking strip was littered with them. This year, we enjoyed it for as long as we could - just over five weeks. It kept its needles and its scent and was, indeed, "a thing of beauty...full of sweet dreams and quiet breathing." But despite Mr. Keats poetic assertions that a thing of beauty is a joy forever, even the memory of our tree will pass into nothingness and be forgotten.
What I will remember and enjoy are the days we spent together shopping leisurely because the Christmas gifts were already wrapped, eating out, eating in, watching movies, piecing together the annual jigsaw puzzle, playing the new board games with family, candlelight...and even though these good things must also come to an end, the beauty of them will last a good long while.
'will pass into nothingness' and 'the beauty of them'. Breath-stealing. My daughter who doesn't realize how much like her mother she is;) did not want to help to take out the tree...'too sad', she said. I always get nostalgic as I 'tuck Christmas away' but the beauty of its happy times linger! and suddenly the rooms fill spacious and airy! Thank-you for expressing what so many of us are feeling...
ReplyDeleteI can't take credit for "pass into nothingness", they are John Keats' words. I agree with you, the way he strings them together are exceptional. Speaking of poetry, I think I will pop over and read some of yours.
DeleteWe had a similarly sad post-Christmas scene here in San Francisco. So many discarded Christmas trees flung to the curbs... : (
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