Every year, our tree goes up at Thanksgiving. This is something my mom did when I was still living at home, and it was something my sister and I always looked forward to. First, waiting for dad to bring in the huge storage bins containing our holiday decor, then the process of detangling Christmas lights and winding them around the assembled tree. We never had a real tree — probably would’ve had my mom sneezing and ill for the entire season — but it was okay because a Christmas tree is a Christmas tree as long as you have some lights and ornaments. One year, we even had a tree made of wrapping paper that my dad made on our living room wall because we had just moved to Virginia (I was about 5 or 6) and my parents hadn’t bought a tree of their own. It was still great. Now that I’m grown, I still put the tree up at Thanksgiving and it stays there until after New Year’s.

Which I definitely followed to a tee this year, and then some, because I am soooo late taking it down this year. LOL. As we were driving home from Hemet on Christmas Day, I thought about pulling the tree down and packing it all up again on January 1st. Here it is, January 4th, and I finally accomplished this task. It wasn’t that I procrastinated, I kind of just kept forgetting. The tree has become such a fixture in our living room because it went up so soon after we moved in and it seems like it’s always been there. But, today, I dragged the holiday storage bin out of our spare room closet and got to it. I’m now covered in glitter, but the ornaments are wrapped in their tissue paper and the leftover gift wrapping supplies are tucked in beside them, to hibernate for the rest of the year until the holidays come again. There’s something about putting the tree up: a cozy feeling, buzzing with the excitement that Christmas brings for me every year without fail. But there’s also something about putting it away that cements the feeling that it’s a brand new year and we’re starting the 365 day journey all over again. I don’t mind that the season is ending. Even the empty, Christmas tree-less space in the corner by our front door isn’t a sad thing, or even an ending in itself. It’s just another year beginning. And taking the tree down only makes putting it back up even better, the next time.

In other news, I got a call from the Clark County Reads volunteering program this morning and will be attending orientation next week on Thursday evening. It’s not a job, but I’ll feel more productive and I miss working with kids. Basically, volunteers work with two children who are having reading difficulties by reading with them for 30 minutes each a few times a week. I’ve done reading tutoring before and reading out loud is one of my favorite things to do in the classroom, so this sounds good to me. The program lasts until April. I figure it will get me into the schools so I can be more familiar with which ones I’d be subbing in around this area, and maybe seeing my face regularly will get some teachers to request me as a sub sometimes. I don’t suppose a little networking could hurt. I’m hoping they can assign me to a school that’s relatively nearby because paying for gas without being paid for the work doesn’t really add up well. David already doesn’t seem to get why I would do this, and for free, but it’s okay. Not everyone understands that I would totally work for free if I could teach school all day. I honestly wouldn’t mind. Being paid to do something I love so much would be a bonus, though. Haha.

I also signed up for a seminar at the Airman & Family Readiness Center on base two weeks from now, called Teaching As A Second Career. Okay, it’s supposed to be my FIRST and ONLY career, but they’ll have some reps from the school district there to talk about the certification process and I think it may be enlightening for me since I’m going through that right now. Still waiting on transcripts of course, since the registrar’s office probably closed at both MSU and HCC for the winter break at some point. Which is alright. I think I’m finally starting to accept that maybe this time is meant for me to just take it slow. To accept that I’m not useless, but merely in transition.

In any case, it will be good for me to get out of the house on my own. I need to be driving around more so I’ll be used to the place by the time David has to leave for TDY in March. And, to end this entry, I just realized that I very lamely typed out “Chistmas” instead of “Christmas” in my photo caption so I am now fixing it. Fail~