cordless

Dad reminded me yesterday that Frosty is still out on the front porch.

We had put away all the Christmas decorations the day after Christmas, but I had stubbornly left Frosty out in the brick flower box, hoping that he could experience at least a little snow.
I am no fan of leaving up Christmas lights and decorations after New Year's, let alone, after the 26th. However, I've always thought it was kind of a shame that all the pretty colored lights typically get packed away before any real snow arrives to provide the perfect complimentary backdrop. It's a tricky thing; neighborhood Christmas lights that look beautiful on December 24th, begin to look tacky by the 27th. And even more so on June 27th.

So earlier today, I was more than ready to begin taking down and packing away the displays of Christmas lights and decorations on sale for 50% off at my Menards. As we reach the mid point of January, the lights seem a little sad and needy, flickering above the newly merchandised patio furniture, where the artificial Christmas trees used to be, and a few rogue tree needles remained.

But I did stop to ponder the bright yellow banner I was removing that had touted a
"New Cordless Christmas". This was for our new line of battery operated Christmas decorations. The banner proudly proclaimed, "Turn it on once, and it lasts all season long!"
I had been working under this banner for the past 45 or so days, and something about the concept had been nagging at my sub-conscious, and it didn't really hit me until I was taking the banner down today.

The products were clearly marketed as convenient and easy to use, but with a limited life span; they were only meant to get you through the holidays. Eventually, the batteries would lose power, and the lights would fade, until they were dark and forgotten. Cordless is nice in the short-term, but will not sustain in the long run.

Maybe I'm just old school. I'm truly a sucker for the long green strings of vintage C9 ceramic Italian Christmas lights, like Dad used to hang from our gutters. Red, green, blue, orange, and white. I loved laying in my bed, and glimpsing the blue and green lights through my drawn curtains. They were connected to the wire that plugged into the front porch light switch, which I sometimes got to turn off or on, if I was lucky.

I have to say that there were many times this past December that I felt like I was running on cordless, and not really connected to anything substantial. I was running and working, but my power and spirit were limited, and I felt very disconnected.

By Thanksgiving, I had finished my Manager Training, and though I was working in the Hardware department in the Anderson store, I was really just an extra body, taking up someone else's hours, while I sought my own home store. So I felt very disconnected from our store team.

Debbie and I struggled with the demands of the holiday season, and though we talked on the phone, and saw each other a little, we didn't share quality time, and we felt disconnected.

I was working every Monday and Tuesday night, as well as every other Sunday, so I was missing my Bible study and Sunday church services. I was feeling disconnected from the fellowship of my Men's group, and I was missing the reassuring hugs I get from God at church.

And this was my first Christmas without my Mom, so I was feeling disconnected from her.

Thinking back on my December of disconnection, I know that I did not enjoy running on limited power and spirit. But I also know that I have the choice to change that. I know that soon I will be a part of a new store team. And Debbie and I are making wedding plans, and committing to plan and be intentional about quality time together.
I'm going to do better at not missing my Men's group, and Sunday church. And my faith assures me that my Mom is always with me, so we are never really disconnected.

I will make every effort to reconnect, and stay plugged into the people and the things that truly power my soul and my spirit, and make me a happy person.

I remember thinking under the yellow banner today that I don't really want my Christmas lights and spirit to be limited to the 45 days of the Christmas shopping season, so rather than be cordless, I would rather be connected to a permanent power source that will sustain me all year.

That being said, Frosty is going back into storage this weekend.

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