I know just what you mean, even the spiritual aspect. Christmas Eve was always the big deal for me and everyone I knew. Christmas Day always felt so anti-climactic to me . . . like a beautiful baloon that suddenly just lost most of the air inside it.

I try to stretch Christmas out to the traditional 12 days because I hate it to be over. I only just opened my presents today. They looked so nice under the tree I didn't want to disturb them. They are gifts I received in the mail because I'm so far from family. Opening them, I broke down crying at all the trouble one of my sisters went through picking out things and wrapping them so pretty.

I never was like this on Christmas before. Maybe that's because it's been so long since I visited family. That was due to COVID. Then, this year, I got sick. Physically, I'm fine now, but not mentally.