Dethroning the Angel

After a month of being held hostage in a snow globe it’s time to return to reality. Less Hallmark movies and more Serial Killer Documentaries, The electric bill for your Christmas lights comes in and the pine needles from the tree will be stuck in the carpet until July.

The weight that was gained from holiday cookies will now be combated in at the gym for which you got a discounted membership, courtesy of all the New Year’s resolutions just around the corner. It’s time to pack the ornaments making sure that none break, if they do you’ll never get all the glass and it will stab you when you least expect it.

Making new friends is easy around this time of year, all the standing in line to return well meant but ill sized gifts means socializing with strangers in the same position is a breeze. The carpal tunnel that was earned from wrapping gifts flares up as insincere “Thank You” cards are written, sealed, and stamped.

Tinsel has lost its shine, the scent of Evergreen is nauseating, and mistletoe has never been charming but is even less so now. The egg nog has gone bad, guests have overstayed their welcome, and the overpriced wreath that was purchased from the neighbor boy’s Boy Scout troop has rotted.

The lights are unplugged and packed away, next year half the bulbs won’t work and the string will be tangled… so they’ll be thrown out and another string will be bought.

The tree which was picked out with such thought and care, in such a picturesque, cliché kind of Christmas way is now discarded on the curbside.

The saddest reality of all is the angel. Her wings are tinged from years of storage and her nose is chipped from where the cat had pushed her from her perch during “The 2008 Incident” but she’s still beautiful. She has golden hair, and scarlet lips, alabaster skin.

After Christmas we dethrone the angel. She goes back in her box. Her cream colored dress is folded with care and special thought goes into how her wings will be placed for the next year. She’s the last thing to go, and once she’s gone, so is Christmas.