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Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Letting Go of Christmas

The day after Christmas is bitter sweet. The glow of this special holiday remains, but you know that the day will come when your home will have to return to normal. The festive lights and ornaments will be carefully stored for next year. The smell of fresh pine will begin to fade, but the memories of another wonderful holiday with family and friends linger on.



By nature, I am a person who cannot live in a state of limbo. This makes the time between Christmas and New Year hard for me as I know that pieces of our home decor are no longer relevant and I am frantic to change that. 


New Year, by definition, is still a Winter holiday and a festive one at that. So, how do you decide what decorations are New Years-ish? Or do you just leave it all? Armed with my cup of coffee, I  start the "Day After Christmas Review." 


The Review has one goal: to complete an inventory of all things holiday related and determine what will stay, what will be packed and what can be moved to other parts of the house. 


In an effort to maintain order, ground rules must be established and I quickly decide that everything Santa-related must go. Items like a sign we have that says "WANTED, Jolly Men Bearing Gifts" or our "Believe" Christmas blocks. A stuffed Santa that sits on our end table and little Santa figurines, all are packed away. Why? Because after Christmas, Santa must go back to the North Pole and prepare for next year! At least that is what I will tell our future children. 


Holiday decor like our porcelain deers, scented candles and pinecone garland I've decided can stay.  I think these things are festive enough to keep us in the holiday spirit while effectively transitioning us through to the new year. Oh, and the Christmas tree! I can almost always defend the tree staying up until after January 1st. Mostly because it takes so much work to put up, that the day it will take us to disassemble it is something I am willing to delay as long as possible. 


Yes, putting away our decorations bit by bit is a good use of time. It spreads out the amount of work that comes with the post holiday overhaul, which is only a week away and usually takes an entire weekend. But if I am really honest with myself, I am weaning us off our holiday high because I am unable to let go all at once. 


Saying goodbye to Christmas is always hard, but with it's exit comes the promise of a brand new year. One that I am looking forward to sharing it with all of you!


HAPPY HOLIDAYS!


1 comment:

  1. So Impressive! We didn't get to decorate at all this year with the move but Its typically Valentines day by the time hubs demands we take things down as I've got a death grip on the tree - I clearly have issues letting Christmas Go!

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