When I was a kid I was always rather disappointed that New Years came so quickly after Christmas, because it meant that everyone would stop saying Merry Christmas and start saying Happy New Year. Christmas was a real thing for me. It was about the baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph and the wonderful story of the angels and the shepherds, and all the excitement of the three kings and Herod and all that.

Christmas was magic and glorious and a thing one looked forward to all year and tried to make last as long as possible. But all of a sudden everything was instantly forgotten, as though it were totally unimportant, and only a week later. Suddenly everyone was saying “Happy New Year” as though that was a real thing. That wasn’t a real thing, that was just another year starting. Who cares about that? It would be like saying “happy new day” just because it was morning. Who does that?

My indifference and occasional outright dislike of “New Years Eve” as a Thing to get excited about – the eclipse of the really Real thing that everyone is so eager for, remains to this day. (And now is added to my general dislike of staying up too late and sudden loud noises.)

So, as every year, I’m not done with it. Christmas is still happening in my house.

So Merry Christmas, everyone, and a blessed Feast of the Mother of God.