My Spirit of Christmas Presents is Late

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Things are looking up. I should be feeling very merry and the truth is that the Christmas spirit is sneaking up on me albeit a bit late. It was very pleasant to light the tree this morning while waiting for the coffee to brew. It was just dark enough to enjoy the lights whilst standing at the window, enraptured by the layer cake the sunrise and the clouds created in the sky. Fluffy layers of cloud cake, separated by deep rose-colored icing. But the presents are a bit sparse. The tree went up just last week and sat unadorned for days. I have been adding a string of garland here, some beads there, the odd snowman or crocheted snowflake. I still have a box of ornaments and such sitting by the tree, but they seem superfluous. It's a minimalist tree. It's perfect and The Feng Shui is with us. I think it's done. Except underneath. It looks empty. I have a couple of gifts to place there but that's all. The Girl wants money. She's trying to put together an adult life and that takes lots of funds. But the Working Girl has been busy buying gifts. And The Boy spent yesterday raking leaves to make money and plans on Christmas shopping, too. It's a new phase of life. The one where I give up being Santa. I stop being Chief Gift Procurement Officer and take the place of lowly recipient. I have always felt a little uncomfortable with accepting gifts. I am more of a buyer than a receiver. But I have to accept that I am old and so is my Christmas spirit. We're both tired. And this morning I recommend we read a little TS Eliot. The Journey of the Magi. It fits my mood somehow, my transition from the old dispensation.