After Christmas

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When the gifts are unwrapped
And the bows put away;
When the holiday trimmings
Are gone for the day.

When the ham is devoured
And the pies are all gone;
When the company’s departed
At the first sign of dawn.

When the trash is left sitting
By the curb in its bin;
When the tree’s been dismantled
And all the snowmen.

Then a hush settles over
Your home and you, too;
So out with the old
And in with the new!

Today’s a new year
With a fresh, clean slate;
Opportunity beckons
To make your life great.

Try something new or
Perfect something old;
Smile a bit more,
Reach for the gold.

Lift up your heart
2025 is now here;
Resolve to keep Christmas
All of this year.

24 thoughts on “After Christmas”

  2. Debbie, as I’ve shared many times in the past, you are SO GIFTED with words. I LOVED this! And it’s ironic you posted about “after” Christmas because later this week I’ll be posting about on a same topic.

    This summed up your poem perfectly….

    “Lift up your heart
    2025 is now here;
    Resolve to keep Christmas
    All of this year.”

    You’re absolutely right, the spirit of Christmas is something we should keep in our hearts all year long.

    Happy New 2025 Year, my friend! And thanks for being such longstanding friend!

    X to you and Monk!

    • Aw, thank you, my friend — you make me blush! I must confess, I was writing this as much for myself as for anybody who’d read it. Perhaps we all need to be reminded that opportunity awaits and, while we can’t control everything, there are some things we can and should try to control — and our attitude is one of them. Keeping Christmas all year long — to my way of thinking, anyway — makes more sense than trying to lose five pounds, ha!

      Blessings on you for a happy, healthy new year! xx

  3. What a great poem for the New Year, Debbie! It resonates with me, reflecting a lot of the feelings I’ve been having this morning. Thank you for sharing, and a Happy & Healthy New Year to you! 🎉

    • Thanks very much, Barbara. I appreciate your telling me my words resonated with you today. Here’s hoping 2025 will be a good one for you and yours!

    • Happy New Year, Dawn. Thank you for the compliment. I don’t really make resolutions (too many who do seem to lose interest in them after 10 days or so!), but I firmly believe gratitude and a joy-filled heart are worthwhile goals!

  5. What a perfect poem with a wonderful message! I have a tiny nativity that I keep out year round in an effort to remember the Christmas message once the holiday fades into memory.

    Happy New Year, Debbie!

    • How I love the idea of keeping a nativity around all year long! I’ve often thought of doing so as well, but for some odd reason (maybe because it was the practice of my forebears), I always put them away after Epiphany. Maybe I’ll try something new this year and see how that goes!

  6. Your poem perfectly captures the spirit of Dickens’s conclusion to A Christmas Carol: “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”

    Yours is an appealing poem: the sort that should be printed out and put on a refrigerator. It deserves posting not because it’s mundane as a kitchen appliance, but because it deserves to be remembered.

    • Linda, your lovely compliment humbles me. I haven’t read Dickens in a while (somehow, he seems best at Christmastime, yet that’s exactly when I’m so very busy!). I’m glad my words resonated with you. While I don’t do resolutions at the new year, I do try to focus on certain things (such as gratitude and a joyful heart) year-round. It’s a little like Lent, I suspect, though sometimes it’s way easier giving up something for 40 days (particularly if it’s something I don’t like anyway — Lima beans, anybody?!)

  7. This is a sweet poem, Debbie! It has a nice rhythm that I could hummm to it 🎼🎶🎵🎶

    I have kept, all year long for the past four years, my 18” silver tinsel tree with my childhood antique glass bulbs and an old fashioned winter claus that is adorned by gold flaked nature critters that my great Aunt Audrey Christman made for me on my fake fire place next to my TV.

    I have no deep reason to do this, other than it humors me and visitors get a little little smile when they notice it.

    Yorkie and I hope that you and Monkey had a nice Christmas that included a visit with your son. Wishing you and yours a healthier and more peaceful 2025!

    • Thanks so much for your lovely compliment! I really like the idea of keeping your tinsel tree up year round, too. Besides being a tangible reminder of the beauty of Christmas, it’s a great way to honor your auntie. Yes, we had a lovely holiday season — and hope yours was, as well!

  8. ˛¸.o•°“°•o.˛¸˛.o•°★°•o.˛¸˛.o•°“°•o.˛¸
    ★ WiSh y0u And YouR FaMiLY ★
    ˛¸.o•°“°•o.˛¸˛.o•°★°•o.˛¸˛.o•°“°•o.˛¸
    HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  10. Lovely poem Debbie! And it chimes well with my only serious resolution this year – to be more positive and optimistic! Happy New Year – I hope 2025 is a good one for you!

    • Thanks so much, FF. “Positive” and “optimistic,” huh? Well, that sounds great … until you run into one of those books that you’d just LOVE to toss right at the wall! Happy 2025!

  11. I loved your poem! I’m usually a little sad about putting away the Christmas decorations, but what you said about keeping Christmas going year round in our hearts helps. Trees dry out, cookies get eaten, but the love we have for each other endures! Happy New Year!

    • Ann, I think it’s easy to get a bit sad over taking down the Christmas decorations. After all, the daylight hours are shorter at this time of year, the visiting family members have gone back home, and the promise of snow keeps us isolated and housebound for longer than we’d like. Nevertheless, there’s much to be thankful for and hopeful about — such as the memories we made over the holidays and, as you so wisely said, “the love we have for each other.”

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