Sliding past Christmas

The little Christmas tree at the entry

It is Sunday, January 4th, 2015 and my Christmas tree is still up, the Christmas place mats and dinnerware are still in use, and the other small decorations--mostly candles and another miniature tree in the entry--have not yet even begun to be gathered in one place so as to collect them all (always missing a few) to be put away in boxes until next December.

I am unapologetic. You cannot live in Spain for as long as I did without accepting that Christmas lasts way beyond New Year's Day--which was always the traditional day in our house for putting away Christmas, or else! It lasts until January 6, which marks the day following the evening when the Three Wise Men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the Christ Child, and when modern-day Three Kings traditionally bring Christmas gifts to the children in Spain. I like the Spanish schedule for Christmas: It generally doesn't begin until the first week in December, on or about the day of celebrating the Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8th), and preparations roll along at an unhurried pace until the 24th, when a grand family dinner is enjoyed by all.  Another special dinner happens on December 25th--indeed, the grocery stores are often the most hectic of commerce establishments during these days. With the large influx of northern Europeans in Spain in recent years, shopping malls often present Santa Claus, or more probably Father Christmas, to hear children's wishes and pose for pictures. On December 25th or 26th, however, Father Christmas miraculously transforms into one of the Three Kings, and he continues to hear children's Christmas wishes until January 5th. I will never forget the January 5th that I was in Madrid preparing to fly out early the next morning and discovered that El Corte Inglés, the large department store, was open until midnight so that the Kings' helpers could purchase last-minute gifts. The streets were abustle that night between desperate shoppers and families gathering to watch the Christmas parade at the 11th hour.

Golden tulips on January 4th

Spain has it right not only from the "how to enjoy the holidays" point of view, but from the liturgical view, too. The Twelve Days of Christmas start on the 25th of December and stretch through until January 5th (see a religious explanation here), and I don't understand why more people don't celebrate the twelve days and extend the joy until the day of Epiphany.

I am starting to think about the process of removing those decorations from the Christmas tree that La Guapa has not already pawed down--maybe tomorrow evening, maybe not until Tuesday, the 6th. And one of those days I will launder the Christmas linens and fold them together in one location while I try to collect the remaining symbols of Christmas to pack away in the same boxes. It will all get done on Tuesday, or maybe Wednesday. Or maybe even Thursday.

But even though I am hanging on to Christmas, I was not deterred this weekend from picking up a small bouquet of the first yellow tulips I have seen this year, and "planting" them smack dab next to one of the Christmas tree placements. Tulips were very rare in our part of Spain, on any date.