Friday, December 30, 2022

Today's the day...

 .... when it all comes down. 

The Christmas tree (again), the glass poinsettia candleholder, the snowman cookie jar, the lighted greenery on the mantle, the cards displayed on the credenza, the seasonal dish towels and candy dishes. Yes, my friends, I'm making my house a Christmas-free zone today!

Although it's early by a lot of people's standards, in my family (and in the place where I grew up) it was considered bad luck to still have the tree up on New Year's Day. Plus, to be honest, I'm always tired of it all by the end of December. I like going into the new year with a clean and uncluttered house. And I've already started the first of several loads of laundry today, because washing clothes and bedding on January 1st is considered very bad luck. My grandma always said that if you wash clothes on New Year's Day, you'd "wash away" a family member in the new year. Of course it's silly, but there's no need to risk it, is there? :)

The only thing I really hate about taking down the tree this year is that we're going to have a big empty space in our living room, in front of the fireplace. Before the holidays we moved the large sofa in that room over by the windows, and it looked so much better there that we decided it would stay like that. Now we need some new seating to go in that spot, either two comfortable chairs or a single "chair and a half". A loveseat would work, too. Unfortunately, we have champagne tastes on a beer budget; whenever we look online to try to find furniture we like, only the really high-end stuff (that we can't afford) ever seems to appeal to us! Not that we can afford even cheaper furniture at this point. We're still catching up from all the job turmoil and missed paychecks Gregg had recently. I think we'll just have to live with the hole for a while.

When do you remove seasonal decorations? Do you clean and tidy your house before the new year begins, to start on a good note? Do you have plans for New Year's Eve?


36 comments:

  1. My Christmas stuff is about 95% put away now. I'll finish the rest today.

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  2. In our Catholic tradition, we celebrate Christmas beginning on Christmas day and ending on Epiphany. Everything in the 4 weeks before Christmas day is Advent, not Christmas. We're not tired of decorations because we don't put them up during Advent. January 6 is the day we take everything down (except the wreaths on outside doors that are important touches of color in New England white winters). New Years Day is just the halfway point of the Christmas season for us.

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    1. I think that so many parts of Catholic tradition are beautiful that I'm a little envious sometimes! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you!

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  3. I have almost literally nothing to take down as I put up nothing. Okay, I'll take the tiny battery-lit lights off the tiny tree in a pot.
    New Year's Eve? Uh. I'll probably be asleep when the year changes.

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    1. We usually stay up until just past midnight, but that's it. Good for you for not having a bunch of crap to take down. It took us about two hours tonight to take down the tree and other decorations.

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  4. I can understand the wish to start the new year with everything Christmas put in storage. In the past, I sometimes took down the tree the day after Christmas, or on the weekend closes to new year's eve. Now I don't rush. When everything was so bleak because of COVID and because someone didn't want to give up The White House, I had started to take down the tree and instead left it up with the lights only. I have to work tomorrow. I'll be medicating Franklin & Penelope because of the fireworks and gunshots. Maybe I'll medicate myself with a margarita when I'm done with work.

    Love,
    Janie

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    1. I'm not sure how Poppy will do with fireworks. Probably just fine; she's a fearless little wench! George usually gets a little nervous, but not too bad. We'll walk them early (before dark) and make sure there's plenty of "white noise" in the house to distract them tomorrow night.

      I'll be medicating myself with ice cold champagne. After tomorrow night I'm giving up alcohol until my birthday at the end of March.

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  5. So easy to put up the decorations yet so hard to take them all down.
    Boze Narodzenie Merry Christmas. Since I am Polish, as a child we had wonderful family traditions. The decorations and Christmas was celebrated till Epiphany January 6, when The Three Kings came. Living in America decorations come down On New Year's Day getting ready for the workday and school but we always left a porch light on to show the way for the Three Kings.
    On New Years Eve, as young children we would play a Board Game and eat
    Polish Sausage on tasty bread and if possible stay up till 12. Now I want to be asleep by 12 !
    This post is such a great idea I think I will use it on my blog. So many traditions.
    to write about.
    cheers.

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    1. My dad's family came here from Poland but I know almost nothing about them. Maybe I'll leave the porch light on for the three kings on January 5th and 6th. What a nice idea!

      I got your beautiful cards. Thank you so much!

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  6. I take mine down as soon as possible, usually the 26th. This year I was busy so it was the 27th. I leave my girls' snow globes out for a while longer since they are winter themed and not Xmas. I would wait until you find something you really like for that spot.

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    1. Funny you should mention the winter snow globes. I've been looking for some lighted winter snow globes (specifically NOT Christmas) to keep up past Christmas until spring starts to arrive.

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  7. Don't think of it as vacant space, but as luxurious openness. :)

    We always took our decorations down after New Year's. Some people leave them up until Epiphany, Jan. 6. But this year we only have our string of lights on the avocado, so we may just leave them up until we're sick of them -- probably February or so!

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    1. Best comment, luxurious openness !

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    2. I left colored lights on our ficus tree, but Gregg says he wishes they were white lights. (Sigh). Whatever. And I like the idea of luxurious openness!

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  8. We wait until after Three Kings Day (Jan 6).

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    1. In a predominantly Catholic country, I can totally see that.

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    1. Whenever makes you happy is the best time to do it!

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  10. I started today and the tree will be done tomorrow. I’m also very done with it by now. - Jenn

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    1. It's kind of nice to start a new year with a fresh clean house, stripped of all the holiday detritus.

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  11. I keep my tree up, the lights are so cheerful, until the last minute when our city will pick up and recycle our trees. They make them into wood chips for free mulch.

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    1. Already, tonight, I could have cried at how bare and dark everything looks without the Christmas tree. I'll have to come up with some other way to light up these darks nights.

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  12. In England, the decorations should come down by twelfth night which is January 6th. I hope that a "loveseat" is not what I think it is! If you get one, please remember to close the curtains. Regarding suitable furniture for that space please try "Greater Florence Habitat for Humanity ReStore". According to my sources, great secondhand seats turn up from time to time and your money would be helping a worthy charity. Happy New Year Jennifer (and Gregg) !

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    1. Why would we close the curtains if we buy a "loveseat"? The young married couple across the street could maybe use some pointers! LOL!!!!

      The Habitat for Humanity ReStore gets stripped of anything really nice by the employees long before the general public gets a chance to look at anything. I like browsing there, but in the age of Google and Ebay, everyone knows the value of "good" stuff and it rarely hits the shelves.

      Anyway........Happy New Year, Neil! :) to you you and your family.

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  13. It's Jan 6th in England, what we call 'Twelfth Night'. Otherwise, tomorrow morning (Jan 1st) before I've uttered another word I will say "White Rabbit, White Rabbit", this will ensure a very good year!

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  14. You know, I usually have the tree down by New Years, but this year, I just felt like I wanted the lights a bit longer. I'll leave it until Monday.

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  15. I am so with Steve Reed there - luxurious openness is what I want in my flat (and mostly achieve, just not around Christmas!).
    Here, like in the UK, the day to take down the Christmas things is Jan. 6th. Of course I took away my Advent wreath and the Advent calendars earlier, since they are not Christmas, but Advent.
    Already the place feels more spacious again! And as I usually do my cleaning on Friday afternoons as soon as I finish work, I did that yesterday, too. This morning, all that's left for me to do is change the bed sheets and start the washing machine.
    O.K. will drive up today and we'll spend the evening at my Mum's, along with my sister and Mum's friend who lives in the same house. Just the five of us, and we'll be having Raclette. At midnight, we will have some bubbly stuff and watch from the balcony what the neighbourhood comes up with in terms of fireworks.
    Tomorrow, O.K. and I will drive down to his place for their traditional family meal. And on Monday, it'll be back to work for us.

    For your furniture "dilemma", I was going to suggest secondhand, too, but I see what you mean about the employees snatching the best bits. Still, it can't hurt to have a look - you might ge lucky.

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  16. I shall gradually take decs down next week, and all will be gone by 6th. I shall leave my tiny white lights that are wound round my plants for a while but everything else will be back in the attic cupboards. Like Mary, I shall probably be asleep at midnight...until the fireworks wake me of course!

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  17. Happy New Year Jennifer. Of course everything is different here and there are no decorations that need to be removed. But I will remember not to do laundry on the first of January. You never know...

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  18. We take our decorations and tree down on New Year's Day. I am doing all my laundry today. Tonight, we'll have some good food and cheer but probably won't be able to stay up until midnight.

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  19. The 12th day of Christmas, January 6th. When I was a very young child, the tree didn't go up until Christmas eve. It is interesting how the traditions have changed over the years.

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