Last weekend we took down the Christmas tree. That’s always a bit sad. I know each year we say the same thing: that this is our best tree ever, but this year it really was. I got attached. I couldn’t help it. When I thought of all the pleasure this selfless tree had given us during the month I had the impulse to put it off one more week.
But it was time. The tree had been up since mid-December, and even though it had been fresh cut at the time, it was starting to drop needles. It was no longer drinking water as it had been, and accidental brushes against it resulted in an incipient shower of fine needles below. Once trees reach the crispy phase, it’s time to face facts.
So we brought in the storage boxes and pulled the ornaments down, one by one. This may sound strange, but I enjoy the un-decorating process almost as much as the decorating. It’s another chance to reminisce about the origins of each of our beloved ornaments. Many of them are simple, inexpensive little things that have only acquired value by surviving through the years. By now, after twelve Christmases together, these little wooden snowmen and simple crocheted snowflakes have become precious to us just through longevity.
It’s not just the tree and ornaments of course. There are also the attendant household decorations to put away. The Christmas tablecloths, extra candles, lights in the windows, little gold stars hanging from the ceiling, special Christmas mugs, etc. All wrapped up carefully to live in the attic until next year.
And then, the pleasure of restoring uncluttered order to the living room. Even two days after the cleanup I walk into the room with an inhalation of breath. It’s so spacious! So roomy! Last night my husband and I sat companionably reading novels in the quiet room, with the cat on the sofa beside us. We were the very picture of domestic tranquility.
Perhaps one of the reasons we all stuff so much into the holiday season is because we anticipate the relief of January. It’s almost a perverse pleasure to cut back on the sweets, clean out the house, and put away the holiday clothes of velvet and bright red and green. Myself, I love variety, and as much as I embrace the overstuffed joys of Christmas and the New Year, I also enjoy the cleansing. So even as I may groan about the return to routine and think how much I need to get back on track with my work and my eating habits, I don’t want to kid myself. I really kind of like the return to a quieter, more disciplined routine.
