Christmas has come and gone for another year. And we are left remembering, wondering, and a little more financially embarrassed than we were a few weeks ago.

In some there is a cynicism as seen in this poem:

CHRISTMAS PAST

The carnival has ended.
Marionette "Jesu" no longer performs
At the whim of carolers’ tunes.
Neon stars diminish and disappear.

Plastic virgins steal away
To be hidden among the angel suits.
Brown "evergreens" stand naked and embarassed.
Love seeks a place to hide

Amid shepherds’ crooks and wise men’s crowns.
The carnival has ended.
And its cost? For more
Than covered by Master Charge.
T.L.Y.

For others there is a joy and many pleasant memories that will brighten the days of the new year fresh before us.

But what of us? How do you and I leave this experience of Ch…