It’s another indoor day—a mixture of illness inside and frigid temps outside has us very low-key on this final day of 2017. I’ve been working my way through an audio copy of The Boys in the Boat, so with The Gilmore Girl’s dad telling me a story in his smooth tones, I began to put away ornaments. I decorated lightly this year as I was hitting finals season after Thanksgiving, and I found myself grateful for that reality today. I purged a few Christmas items no one loves, repacked carefully the ornaments we really care about, and now there’s a tree broken in three pieces waiting by the door. The final packing of it is an ordeal for strong hands, so I wait for help in smushing it and re-taping its already beaten-up cardboard box. While the taking down of Christmas always feels a bit bittersweet, it’s also accompanied by that crisp feeling of a fresh start. So here’s to the New Year! To getting rid of what we don’t need. To cherishing sweet memories. To decorating with lights and colors. To valuing the people we know more than the things we own. To 2018 and to God be the glory in this new year.