A snapshot of me, talking to me:
Take the Christmas stuff down.
I don't wanna.
No one else is going to do it. Buddy the Elf isn't here.
Why do you put up so many decorations?
Every year you say that. Every year you put them up, sigh happily, and say, "It's so worth it," then every year when it's time to put stuff away, you say, "Why did I do all this stuff?"
Shut up and put everything away. Clear the decks. Get to work.
Everything?
Everything.
I started to take everything down today. But now I don't have the heart to dismantle the tree. Not just yet. Someone plugged it in this morning, and it looks too pretty to touch. I'll just let it keep twinkling. At least for today.
I put everything else away: the stockings, the Christmas cards, the Santa figurines my sister gave me. The Jesse tree, the Advent calendars, the Christmas mugs. The greenery, the lights from the mantel, the Nativity. The cardboard Santa Claus card caddy that Atticus brought home from Goodwill 32 years ago. It's silly, and retro, and it's perfectly Atticus. I love it.
Sometimes I dither about the other stuff: I have a few snowman decorations, and sometimes I sweep them away with all the other Christmas things ("The fun is over, people! No more winter-y anything! I'm sick of it! Where is spring? Why is it only January?!") I never meant to start a snowman collection. I don't really even like collections (unless we're talking books), and if you asked me if I had a snowman collection, I would say, "No! I don't collect things that collect dust." And yet, here they are, sitting on my hutch, every December:
They sure look like a collection. As with every good thing in my life, I didn't plan them, and would deny that I'd ever have wanted them, but there they are. A few snowmen who make me smile. A happy life. (Just don't call it a collection. It makes me feel like a crazy old cat lady or something.)
The tree will come down this week, but this year, I decided the snowmen could stay through January. Probably through February. Instead of wishing for spring to be around the corner (because, let's face it, it's not), I'll use the snowmen this year to cultivate the hygge.
/End-of-dither.
10 comments:
Dear Karen,
Yesterday I took down the foil autumn leaves that were hanging from the ceiling in the entry way.
Let's not talk about the poinsettia or the angels. Okay? Deal.
A deal I wouldn't dream of breaking, Tanita.
"Where is spring? Why is it only January?" I laughed so hard at this! I have always felt that when the Christmas season is over, winter should end, too. Why does God not agree with this plan? It makes perfect sense to me! Loved this post. Good January laugh! I think your snowmen should make a weekly appearance on your blog, just as a kind of winter update/check-in. :)
I know I need to deal with the dying Christmas tree, but I'm not ready yet. Later. But I'm definitely not taking the lights down until we start having more daylight. I neeeeed them. Bright happy colored lights.
I took down our tree this week, but left the lights up, too! Extra light is so helpful through the winter months!
Yes, I keep the twinkle lights in the kitchen all the time -- they cheer me, especially on dark winter mornings. I'm also keeping the greenery and lights on the hutch for awhile. Let there be twinkle light! :)
Danae, I love your idea of the snowmen accompanying us through this winter. I'll remember that. :)
Karen, this was just fun to read. You are ahead of me. Well, actually I put away a few candles and decorations. But I agree, the tree is so cheerful with all it's color. I think Buddy the Elf would keep his tree up longer, too.
Sonja, yes to asking ourselves the question, "What would Buddy do?" :) What a lovely way to live!
It makes complete sense to keep the twinkle lights on for as long as morning stays dark.
I should find out more about Scandinavian traditions of lighting lights against the darkness. In the northern parts of this country -- where not coincidentally a fair number of Scandinavian immigrants settled -- the length of the dark hours can really get to you.
But I still like it better than the lower Midwestern perma-gray that I grew up with -- we have more winter days that are sunny, even if the days are shorter, up here. Darkness and snow are improved richly by twinkle-lights, but they just sort of dissolve into damp gray skies.
Perma-gray... yes. :)
I lived in Alaska from ages 7-10. I remember the impossibly short winter days were, but as a kid it didn't bother me the way it would now. Back then, it was part of an adventure I'd never experienced before. And I remember loving the stretched out summer days. We always thought we were getting away with something when we stayed outside playing until 10pm. But since the adults in the neighborhood were all outside socializing, I'm pretty sure they knew exactly where we kids were and what we were doing. :)
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