Okay, 2009 is here, and my day of lolling around yesterday ended, as all good things must. Today I went out in the rain and drove all over town, running errands I've been putting off. Well, "putting off" isn't quite right--I WAS going to run a couple errands earlier in the week, but I kept having to work overtime and stores were closed by the time I got off work, so those errands were postponed until today.
And where did I go? First, the office supply store for printer ink. Does anyone besides me think that the cost of printer ink is a rip off? Do you have any idea how much fabric I could buy instead of buying a cartridge of black ink and a cartridge of colored ink? ARGH!
Next was a local party supply store for some bags and a couple other things they didn't have, so then it was on to JoAnn's. JoAnn's seemed very confused about the seasons, with decorations for Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, and Easter. But at least I found everything I needed--and more! Check out this cookie cutter--I couldn't resist!
Then on to Trader Joe's and the "regular" grocery store. Oh, and Marie Callender's for a pie--yum! We're having friends over for dinner tomorrow night, and I needed a few provisions.
Tomorrow morning I need to clean house. Now I know some of you made the mistake of doing some cleaning on New Year's Day, which is very bad luck, so I wanted to mention that I'm pretty sure you can turn that bad luck around by coming to clean MY house tomorrow morning. Just show up around 10 a.m. and I'll show you what needs to be done. Okay?
Now, here's my question I've been pondering. When do you take down your Christmas decorations? With company coming for dinner, I've been conflicted about leaving them up or taking them down--this is a couple we hadn't had over during Christmas and this is sort of our Christmas get together. Hubby took down the BIG Christmas tree in the living room the other day and I've de-Santa'd much of the house, but I think I'm going to leave up some of the other stuff for the next couple weeks. I know a lot of people have "snowman season" after Christmas and I think that's what I'm going for. At least that's my story, and I'm sticking to it! What do you do?
Also in past years--and probably again this year--I've left up some of the red and white stuff in the kitchen and added some pink to the mix. Then I've partially changed out the decorations on the kitchen Christmas tree so I have a Valentine tree. When it's still so gloomy outside, I just love the look of the little white lights warming up a few dark corners in the house.
I hope 2009 has been good to you so far! Thanks for stopping in and telling me about your Christmas decoration habits. Oh, and just so you know--I'll have the coffee on when you get here in the morning to help me clean. See you then! It will be fun. Really!
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26 comments:
I have taken the Christmas decorations down...but would probably leave them up if I was having a post Christmas Christmas gtg with friends....so I think you have done well by taking down the tree etc but leaving some around for the dinner...hope you have a great night. We are off out to dinner for a change tonight. The Prince doesn't feel like cooking!
I leave my Christmas decorations up until Epiphany (Jan. 6th). Then I have some "wintery" stuff that I put up. Last year I never took down the tree. I pulled off the Christmas looking ornaments and added pink hearts and other Valentines looking ornaments. After Valentine's Day, I took off the hearts and added spring flowers on the branches, floral ornaments and fabric eggs. After Easter I took off the eggs and just left it kind of springy looking until June when I did the red, white & blue theme for Flag Day and then 4th of July. Right after that I got ready to move and that's when the tree came down!
All mine is usually packed away by New Years Day. It always makes the house look so empty when I take it all down, so I would probably leave some of it up if I was having an after Christmas dinner with friends. I am trying to decide what to do with my mantel now. The only thing I have to hang up there are my Spring flowers, and when I did that last year my kids thought I was really dumb. I do have a baby quilt - not babish in design - that my mother made my daughter - it is now 23 years old but the colors are just perfect for my living room and I think I may just hang it up there. My plans had to make a new wall hanging in wintry colors, but I sure did not get that one done.
I've taken all of the Christmas trees and decorations down, but my lighted village will stay up until the middle to end of January. The village makes me smile during the dark gloomy days of winter I guess.
Have fun with your friends!
Some of my decortions are stored for another year but both my trees are still firmly in place. We are having our last get-together tomorrow, so perhaps they will both come down next week. I say perhaps because I get so sad when they are gone, sometimes I leave them a little longer...well actually till the rest of the family is "sick" of them. LOL
Well, all my stuff is still up and I have no good excuse. And since I'm leaving for a week in Carmel area tomorrow, most of it will still be in place when I get back. I do intend to de-Santa (stuff other than the big tree) the house today but don't hold me to it. Getting a handwork project together to take with me for the week takes priority! No house cleaning going on here either so my good luck is ensured awhile yet. Your sliding seasons decorating plan is a great one. And Suzan's changing tree sounds like a fabulous idea! Except my tree takes up much needed space so it has got to go at some point.
I, too, ran all my errands yesterday in the pouring rain. A huge bag of 50% off Christmas fabric followed me home. So much for stashbusting. Didn't even make it 24 hours into the New Year.
Strangely, I grew up that it was bad luck to have your tree up on New Year's Day, but it's an old wives tale so who knows. I took everything down around those days, but I did pull out all my lighted Snowmen. All my quilts are still up, that will take another few days to switch out. I'd say leave them up...especially the red and white and start blending in the pink for Heart Day later! Sounds like a plan!!
I usually take mine down the weekend after Christmas and New Year's, that would be this weekend. But because I have a project I am trying to finish by the middle of January, I took everything down last weekend. I needed my hand-sewing space back, which was gone because of my Christmas village needing the spot.
Well, when my husband gets sick of the decorations and brings in the boxes, that's when we take the stuff down. LOL So, probably this weekend. I'm about done with the tree - I love it, but we don't have a big living room, and it takes up a lot of space.
Okay, don't laugh! My daughter's b'day is Nov. 29th...tree goes up the next day. My b'day is Dec. 26...the tree goes down that day! Have you ever had b'day presents wrapped with Christmas paper? Or had someone say "This is for Christmas and your birthday"? OH! I'm whining! Sorry.
Well,I guess all of you Americans think us Swedes backwards when I tell you that we usually have Christmas till Jan 13....that is when we traditionally have a throw-out-Christmas-party. We dance around the tree and then we throw it out! This is mostly with kids.
I will probably keep the tree for another week. But I did not put the tree up until the 13th of Dec. It is so dark outside that it is nice with all the Christmas lights for a little longer. I do love it though when it's all gone!
I did spend New Years Day sewing!!!! Good for me!
I always take my down before New Year's Day. I think it bad juju to leave them up.
Happy New Year!All the neighbors have taken down their lights on the outside. Our tree is still up, but it will come down next day off. I love the idea of mixing a little pink with the reds! Hope you have a wonderful dinner party...
When you said, "it will be fun, really" I thought back to when I was a young mother and my best friend and I would do our "spring" cleaning together. Just the big jobs. One week we would do windows at my house, the next at hers, then on to another week and another big job. It was really fun. Our kids played, we laughed, had lunch and "a good time was had by all" I really wish I could do it now with a a good friend, but don't really have anyone interested as most of my friends are fortunate enough to have housekeepers. I used to after back surgery but it isn't in the budget anymore.
I think printer cartridges are a rip too!
I take my decs down around 4th,5th,6th depending on what shift I'm working.
I leave the tree up until I get so embarassed about having it up, usually the middle of January. I leave the snowpeople, white lights, and outdoor lights out/on until the end of February. It is too dark and dreary here and any light is appreciated. Have fun this weekend! Cheers.
What do wwe do?
Celebrate Advent with a candle wreath on the dinner table and one creche figure a day until Dec. 24. THEN the tree goes up!
So, of course we don't take it down until the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas--January 6. And all those twelve days the Magi are walking around the periphery of the livingroom to get to the manger.
Other than the tree and the creche we don't have much Christmas decoration. Only a quilt hangin in the kitchen and a couple over chairs in the livingrooom. And we have a Christmas duvet cover and pillows on our bed.
Every year I take a few more things we did NOT use the previous year to the Salvation Army.
Slowly, slowly less to care for!
I take mine down the day after Christmas. By then I am feeling all ready for the New Year and a fresh start. I say keep yours up as long as you want! If you are enjoying them then keep em out there. :) Have fun with your company and eat a little piece of pie for me!!
dawn
You are so funny - sorry to have to miss the cleaning party tomorrow at 10 am.
I am sure your dinner party will be great! Your home will be pleasant I am sure. AND, who can argue with a DH who is willing to take down some of the decorations. Most of ours did not make it up this year because DH didn't want to hassle getting them down. You can be sure that the decorations that I was able to get to and put up are going to be put in a place where I can get to them next year.
You have been a happy place to rest my eyes each day and I look forward to your Big Quilting Adventure in 2009. I feel like I know you and your regular contributors as I read all of their comments too.
Cheerio
I was going to come to your house at 10:00 but then I didn't know if tomorrow is today or is it tomorrow? Today is Saturday, but you said tomorrow, but I know you were writing Friday night so I must have missed the 10:00 cleaning appointment. Sorry, maybe next time.
Chris in Sacramento
I usually take our tree down on New Year's day, but since my daughter has gone off to college, I really like to leave it up til she goes back to school. She will be leaving tomorrow (the 4th) and the tree will be down and put away by the end of the day. I think I'll miss my tree this year. The little white lights look so cute and inviting.
hey, we didn't get the tree decorated until Christmas eve so it's staying up for a while! Seriously it's such a process taking all the ornaments off, and it does tend to make me feel like whining so i leave it for a while. I do have the snowman and mitten season after Christmas until around Valentines day. But it's probably easier for me since we have a square butt ton of snow to make it seem appropriate.
Hmmm, last year it was about March for the tree....I like to lengthen the joy!
Great lip cookie cutter, tracey
After everyone has turned up to help you clean could you please send them to me???!!!! I try and take my christmas things down by the 3rd of January, not too hard this year I didn't have much up!!
i am having trouble getting a flight... but i will be thinking of you while I am cleaning my house... myboys have been sick so i don't think it could get any worse around here.
Our stuff is still up. I was sure the Hubster was going to at least un-decorate either inside or outside while I was at work (knitting store) yesterday, but he did not. We have a real tree and the first municipal pick-up is on Friday, so we'll most likely get to all of that at some point during the week. I go back to work tomorrow. This does not make me happy.
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