Confession. I enjoy putting away my Christmas decorations as much as I enjoy bringing them out of storage. Possibly even more. Soon after Santa visits, the tinsel begins to look tired. Decorations turn to clutter. This downward spiral happens quickly for me. By New Year’s night, I’m done.
On January 2, John and I removed the ornaments from the tree. This part is a bit nostalgic. We take a little extra time to reminisce over favorites—every ornament has a story.
Each year, I consider leaving out certain decorations for a few more weeks—those that lean toward winter rather than Christmas. Going from decorated to bare can be jarring, even for me.
This year I left out two snowmen related things. And what happened? We immediately received a dusting of snow. I’m not taking credit, but sort of I am. I also left glittery stars hanging from white branches in a vase. This was a complete oversight, but I’m okay with the stars for a while.
Our fir tree is now laying out on the curb in the frigid cold. From the front porch, I can still see a few sparkly icicles. It was a great tree.
The clean house feels a bit empty. After the holidays, there are always blank spaces that make me wonder what was there before Christmas? And since we haven’t been in this house all that long, I’m really having that problem this year.
In an attempt to add life back into the house, I snagged up this small houseplant at Lowe’s. At $4.99 on the clearance aisle, it was the only after Christmas sale item I bought anywhere:)
So how about you? How are you doing this first week of 2015?
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
Musical Pairing:
Muddy Waters – Cold Weather Blues
It always makes me a little sad to take down Christmas. The “clean” that comes with the undressing is good though. I have most of it put away now. I did leave some winter decor and greenery on the porch. I also left the plaid paper in my china hutch. I really liked that addition this year. I think it will be a lot of work to move all the china and crystal again, so it can stay a while!
I was ready to take Christmas down by the time we got back. It took two days! I like the idea of those stars still shining for you. I’ve decided I need to take before pictures so I can remember where my regular things go.