Waiting for Christmas

Do you remember those holiday calendars that had 24 little doors? You opened a door every December evening, until you got to Christmas Eve. Some of them had candies behind the doors. Others were hand-made felt banners, with candy canes tied to each day of the month, and a jingle bell attached to December 24. I remember this poem was sometimes written on them:

December first 'til Christmas
Is the longest time of year
It seems as though Old Santa
Never will appear.

How many days 'til Christmas?
It's awfully hard to count
So the little pieces of candy
Will tell you the exact amount

Untie a treat every night
As the Sandman casts his spell,
And Christmas Eve will be here
By the time you reach the bell.

Isn't it funny how it seemed that Christmas would never arrive, when we were kids, and yet, as an adult, I hardly get the tree down and the decorations put away before the holidays are sneaking up behind me again!

But something is different this year. Once again I'm feeling like "December first 'til Christmas is the longest time of year." Do you suppose it's because I'll be trading hugs with Sweetpea for the first time since May? I can hardly wait to hear that jingle bell ring on Christmas Eve.