Goodbye My Dear...

Call it a "routine" or call it "habitual laziness" the same thing repeated each year. They say what goes up must come down. I have nothing to argue about that, but I do have a say in when it goes up and when it comes down . I alone have the power in deciding when it has to come down, for you see the power is in my hand.

Christmas! A love and hate holidays for various reasons. Christmas tree is a reason to love, yet Christmas tree is a reason to hate. Love the feelings going to a tree farm shortly after Thanksgiving to choose that perfect tree to bring home welcoming Christmas season. Love to decorate the tree (half way because I get tired and lazy after I am half done) and hate taking it down. But that day eventually arrive and it's time to say goodbye. And the time is today 2/22/12.

In the spirit of Christmas, I have brought a small live tree (2' or so) to my office and almost fully decorated it (only the lights are missing) since around after Thanksgiving. This year theme colors were turquoise and silver (colors of hope and wish in my own view). Day after day prior to Christmas, people passing by would compliment it, did not believe that it was a real tree, and could not help but reach out to touch the its needles. But I guess it gets old when the tree still remain on my desk after New Year. They observed quietly. Mid January, the comments slowly pouring in: "Christmas is over if you have not noticed," "how long are you planning to keep this tree for." I know, I know. That's all I could respond sheepishly. It will stay up until I can bring myself to take it down, and I hate taking it down (I must hate this task deep down so I will find any excuse to delay it). Around end of January, people stopped comment on it and just gave me a smile while shaking their head. Took that as a cue, I moved the tree off my desk down to the corner by my office door thinking I will remove the decorations and discard the tree soon.

Days went by. The poor tree sat there silently staring at me, looking almost as good as when it was still fresh. Finally today someone came in and commented about the tree. Yah, I guess it's about time I take it down. As if worrying that I would change my mind, my friend sat down with me, carefully removing each ornament from the poor tree leaving the pine needles scattering all over the floor...

Poor thing, only 9 more months until next Christmas season. Only if...