As soon as I get off the computer (and I recognize that my computer time this morning is most definitely a delaying tactic!) I will begin the task of un-decorating my house and divesting it of all its Christmas finery, which ranks up there for me with tooth extractions and colonoscopies. I love Christmas SO much! It's my most favorite time of the year, and I love decorating for it. My house is very festive during the Christmas season and I love the colors and smells that surround me while I'm enjoying the festivities. But when it's over, and I have to un-do all the decorations, sort them out, put them away, store the boxes and bins? Ugh. I have a strange relationship with Christmas I think. I adore the season, but when it's over I want my house back to normal NOW! I despise the process of restoring it to its pre-christmas state, and yet I'd start un-decorating as soon as the last child left the house Christmas day, if that were feasible. Typically though, there are several other get togethers that happen within a day or two after Christmas so it's necessary that my house stay decorated till the last of them has been held. ..........and now i'm just procrastinating, as I contemplate telling you stories of Christmases past, spinning out a variety of yarns and tales while those Christmas decorations wait, while the bins remain empty, while I continue this love/hate saga that I just can't ever seem to retire. OK, this is me launching......and here I GO! LOOK OUT CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS!!
Donna yes! The reclaiming of my house is the part I'm desperate for. The PROCESS however is what I hate. But....I've at least begun. I have a similar pile of bins in the living room, and another in the hallway for the hallway, bathroom and office decorations. Soldiering on!
I hear you! Same here! Our tree was so pretty this year but I can't wait to get the living room back! I love to put everything out but hate putting everything back! Not only do I have my house to straighten up, I have my office too
OK, getting there.......slowly. There's all the laundry that has to get done before things can get put away and stored for next year. And one of many piles of things gathered from various places in the living room and its furniture, ready to be put back in the bins. Something I learned to do many Christmases ago, (and I can't believe it took me as long as it did to learn it!) is to put, in my Christmas bins, all the things I move temporarily to replace with Christmas decorations. As one of many examples, my mantel is typically where the antique clock sits from my parents, and the family photos of kids and grandkids. It all goes into the bin from which I take the some of the mantel decorations. The regular couch cushions and throws are put in the large bin from which I take the Christmas cushions and throws. For so many years, I was SUCH a dufus, and stressed over places to put the regular stuff that I removed to make room for the Christmas stuff, when there were bunches of completely empty bins, with all the room in the world, in which to store the stuff. MUCH more efficient all round! I am teachable........I'm a slow learner, but eventually I get there.
It can be depressing to not have all that finery and color around, when every inch of your living space is decorated. I also hate putting that stuff away, so for the last few years I've only put up enough to "hint" that it's Christmas time. I string the greeting cards up (which go into the recycling bin afterwards). Our house is very small and we have no room for our tree anymore, so we have a flat "tree" that hangs on the wall, believe it or not, and we can pile the presents underneath. Hubby will take the lights down from the outside, I'll vacuum and dust, and badda bing, back to our normal. And, of course after all is put back into the shed, one lone ornament will appear to mock me.
Ronni--My husband hails from Cuba, where they don't celebrate gift giving until All Kings Day (Jan 6th). So.....we honor part of that tradition by keeping our decorations up to the 6th! Would that drive you crazy?
All we put up anymore are colored lights and garland on the front deck. But we live so far off the road we are usually the only ones to see them. 15 minutes to go up and another 15 to come down and put away! Since it got to 52 today and was dry, they are now stored in the garage until next year! Heh, Heh, Heh !
You guys got it easy. Try being a trash-man AFTER Christmas. UPS, USPS, Fed-Ex, they all get it before Christmas. Me? What it takes a month and then some to get, I have to pick up in a day. TRASH MEN ARE PEOPLE TOO! Okay, I'm Okay now. Please make it stop before I do what the voices tell me to do! No, really, I'm Okay now.
Poor thing. I can just imagine what happens to you after Christmas. I don't have a garbage man. I wash all my jars, cans and plastics and take them to the recycling center. That happens about every 4 months. That's because I can so much and don't usually buy things in cans or jars. I burn everything I can on a daily basis. I take my regular trash to the dump. I only take about 1 big black bag every 2 or 3 weeks. It's very cheap plus a dozen eggs for the dump manager.
FBG.. you ( and all of our regular trash guys) are sooo safe from me. I only give money to my kids which makes the envelopes pretty small to get rid of... I got sooo tired of the disappointment at the end of Christmas that I gave up on trying t find the perfect gits for them. I got the biggest gift this year which was a dishwasher and a microwave and I had my son take the old ones the recycling center . no extra trash here this week. Ronni, I put up one strand of garland with lights this year...
Chapeau! It is a big job, isn't it? Well, whilst we do not do much with christmas here, we do put up lights. I like them and am always a little sorry to see them go. It is custom here not to remove them until 3-Kings day has past in januari. The lights are what I like best about the festive seasons. --chuckle... I just re-read this note and saw how childish I sounded. hahaha. Ach.
DH puts out 15 strings of bigger bulb lights.And have a smaller house. Very few things inside. Have taken the 10 foot tree to our church. But I decorate 1 customer--100 boxes I brought out. I dread taking real tree down Monday. Bringing our bigger shop vacuum.
We have scaled down our tree. It still is nice when it goes up and even nicer when it comes down and the room feels like it has grown. Will leave the Christmas cards up for another week, but the rest of the Christmas clutter is gone...except for the glitter. It will take several vacuumings to get rid of the glitter. Time to start browsing the seed catalogs.
