On my morning walk today, I saw my first post-Christmas tree out on the curb. I know some people take the tree down the day after, some have all the Christmas things packed up by New Years Eve. That is not me! The tree is a once a year event. It goes up Thanksgiving weekend and it doesn't come down until the New Year has started.
Every morning the tree is in our house, I start my day by turning on the lights. Before I let out the dogs, start coffee or really wipe the sleep from my eyes, I want to see the glow of multi-colored lights gleaming off shiny ornaments. I want to sit in the living room, looking at the tree, my eyes tracing the shapes of familiar tree trimmings, my mind recalling memories attached to those ornaments.
The elephant ornament I got in high school, that has survived 5 moves, one decorated tree toppling over, and a leaky basement that ruined lesser ornaments.....our son's 4 month old hand print.....our daughter's 4 month old foot print (because after the hand printing fiasco, we thought feet would be easier!).....our first Christmas ornament.....handmade ornaments from the kids....
These things only have one time to shine, and I'm going to enjoy it for all it's worth. I'm a firm believer in letting Christmas linger just a little bit more! I'm also a firm believer that if you let your tree stay up longer than January 10th, you look crazy.
Look for my tree to be kicked out the front door about January 9th.
Growing up in So. California, we would always get our tree precisely 2 weeks before Christmas, and it would be taken down the day after. But now we are a little more like you - - we get it on Thanksgiving weekend and it goes down New Years weekend, unless it's dying and then it comes down sooner. So, I think we'll be tree trimming in reverse tomorrow :)
ReplyDeleteJudy, so far our tree is holding its self together, which makes it harder to take down! But I have Monday off, and that seems like as good as time as any to do the dirty deed.
ReplyDeleteIt's a dirty job, but somebody (me) has to do it. My house always seems larger with the tree gone.
ReplyDelete"most" people here leave their tree up through Epiphany and the beginning of Mardi Gras. Still I've already seen the wildlife and fishery trucks picking up trees at the curb. They use them for coastal restoration. So the tree still has a purpose even without the shiny ornaments.
Happy New Year
Mine is already down! It is the first year that I have taken it down before New Years and it was very hard to do! But with a new puppy taking off ornaments and the feeling of utter chaos, I had to do it!
ReplyDeleteWe're taking ours down today--if I waited til I got tired of looking at the twinkly lights and nostalgia-inspiring ornaments, it'd be up til Valentine's Day at least.
ReplyDelete