End of Year

This is always a weird week for me. First the week doesn't start the way normal weeks do. This week begins with Christmas Eve. The entire month of December seems to rush toward that single night. And what a night! About 15 years ago I discovered the wonder of the midnight service at my home church. There is a peace, a serenity that I find in that service that I find no where else. The familiar stories and music are a balm at the end of a prolonged rash of cultural madness. At the end of the service the lights are dimmed so we are lit only by candle light. The whole congregation is on their knees singing "Silent Night". It's wonderful!
This week ends for me on New Year's day. It's kind of weird starting the week with one of my favorite holidays only to end it with one I find utterly idiotic. I avoid going out on New Year's Eve if at all possible. And I have very little use for college bowl games. The day is usually of complete indolence. Food is prepared in the crock pot and left to warm all day long. It's a great day to not bother even getting out of my PJ's. I watch old movies and begin thinking about getting the tree out of the living room.
But it's this week in between. It's a vast expanse of nothing. No projects will be started this week and few will make much progress. You can't have a meeting because so many people take the week or parts of it off. No one wants to think about anything. If the world ended this week would anyone even notice? This is the week for long naps, and quiet days. Turn off the television and watch the snow drift gently by the window.
On balance maybe this is the perfect week for the end of the year. A chance to sort and sift and think. Take the opportunity and enjoy.
Peace