It's Over

Today I started taking down the Christmas decorations. It's a melancholy undertaking for me. I love Christmas and the decorations. I spend hours listening to Christmas music and putting up the old decorations and remembering the years past. They are always put up with the feeling of anticipation for the festivities to come spiced with the hustle and stress of many things yet to do. I linger lovingly over the placement of each piece in the manger scene, hunt the perfect place for the special ornaments on the tree, tenderly unwrap the little figurines that my mother painted only to wrap them back up until the little ones are bigger and less likely to demolish them. The house always looks so beautiful to me in the glow of the candles in the windows and the twinkle of the lights on the Christmas tree.

I have friends that just can't wait to get all the decorations down and put up. The day after Christmas everything is tucked away and all signs of the season are gone. For me the days after Christmas are the best ones of all. The pressure is off, everyone slows down, and I can finally just enjoy the seasonal finery. I love taking my coffee into the sunroom, turning on the lights on the tree, and enjoy a little early morning reflection. Hubby even commented on how much he was enjoying the tree and wondered if we could just leave it up until February. Considering that it was nearly March one year before I could stop anyone long enough to help me get it out of the sunroom and stored that was a particularly scary thought.

However, today it is 68 degrees out and the decorations must come down. Far better now than waiting a few days until it is rainy, cold and miserable. Actually, I'm only one day early. Traditionally I spend all of New Year's day taking down the decorations and putting them away. It keeps me entertained and I have a house full of men to help carry everything up to the attic. All I have to do is remember to ask during half-time or between games. That is all but one year. That year I decided to host a coffee for all the "ball widows". I invited everyone I knew to come and hang out. They did!! They arrived about 11 am and the last ones left at 4 pm. We sat in the floor, on chairs, and steps and ate stale Christmas cookies and drank coffee and had a ball.
I only got to do that one year, then hubby wanted his house back for the ballgames.

Maybe next time I undecorate early I'll plan another "widows" day.

Happy New Year!