This morning I put away my Christmas tree. I’ll miss it.
Its tiny lights and ornaments glowed in early arriving darkness.
The presence of quiet beauty charmed me,
Calmed me after family festive meals and boisterous grandchildren
Gave me quite enough cheer.
I’ll put it up again next year.
The season after Christmas I love well.
My home settles into ordinary time.
The clock counts peacefully the seconds, minutes, hours.
Yet there are weeks, months and a year ahead
Whose calculation strains my arithmetic.
Time will give me lessons in transition.
Today cold winds blow and snow flakes fly.
I think it will soon be winter.
poetrybyheart.me 
Such beautiful thoughts for a winter’s day. I feel your peace. ❤
Thanks. I’m glad to be in a space I call the “dead of winter” where I have the quiet to write. 🙂
Perfectly expressing the feelings of the letting down, putting away and warm memories. Blessings for the new year.
Thank you. I wish you the best for the New Year.
Lovely. I’ll be taking my tree down tomorrow so will be in that same space – but you’ve really made me think about this time – I was working on a post earlier about this time between Christmas and spring, which I always find more challenging. But I really love the way you describe this period.
Taking down a Christmas tree really is a unique space. I used to like getting to the “dead of winter” place because for various reasons I found the month of December difficult. Now I love the less is more of my two foot high toy tree. I’d like to read your post about the Christmas to spring interval.
Well, it may have a slightly different tone to it now that you’ve made me think differently about it 🙂
That’s something new – your thinking differently after reading a post of mine. I’m grateful. I’m really interested in what you will say. ❤
It’s such a wonderful juxtaposition that I spent the holidays in So Cal (where I lived till age of 50) whining about the lack of warm temps that make way too many people want to move there at this time of year!
That’s funny. I should be grateful that winter weather is pretty dependable here. 🙂
Lovely sentiment, but not overdone. I felt the same way this year. I enjoyed the way you bring the aftermath into a soft feeling of peace.
I’m glad you like it. Your critiques are helpful and always welcomed.
[…] this poem, Winter Transition by Crone Chronicler, prompted me to think of this period in a different way. I love her concept […]
Thank you for your comment. 🙂 I’d like to hear more of how you look at this period now.
Though my Christmas this year (and all the preps and all the undoing of) did not happen as planned, nor as it used to, I, too, feel the transition come January. I look forward, a tad sadly as I adjust to my new reality, to finding the peace that ordinary time brings…
In time you will find the peace that ordinary time brings. From other losses in my life I know that grieving has its own time table and will get you there. Many hugs. ❤ 🙂
Yes, you are absolutely right, I will. I, too, have had other losses and know that each one has its own time table… good way of putting it! I accept your hugs! xo
Good to hear you are familiar with the hard healing of grief. I’m glad you have a circle of friends and family to hold you. It’s almost like people encircling a woman giving birth to new life. More hugs. xo
I most certainly am blessed for it! It is indeed! Women gather for both birth and death. xo
And so the Christmas tree goes away for another year 🙂 I didn’t have one this year but visited the one at my parents’ house!
My little tree , all of 24” tall, lives in a box in my linen closet. I visited a tall real tree at my son’s house. I even packed a suitcase and spent two nights with him and his family only a few blocks away. I think Christmas trees need family around them. 🙂 Thanks for your comment. It’s always good to hear from you.
[…] I always now think of this period of the year as ‘ordinary time’, after reading a poem last year by cronechronicler that resonated with me and helped me to think of it in a different way. You can read it here. […]
Thank you so much for remembering the poem I wrote last winter. I thought about it too as I put away my small Christmas tree.