Another Christmas, come and gone. Just like that. All the buildup, the hanging of lights and decorating of trees. The buying of more presents than you can shake a stick at, and the extra pounds from all the extra food.

The renewed relationships with those rarely seen, and the reminders of how grateful we are for what we have. Then reality hits you smack dab between the eyes, and it’s back to work, time to pay for the presents. Time to toss the tree, take down the lights and prepare to deal with the harshness of a long cold winter.

Sounds great, don’t it? I know some of you just hurled in your mouth but, really, late winter does not have to be so dreary.