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What Goes Up Must Come Down

So it’s about that time again.  A lot of people say that taking down their Christmas decorations is depressing.  But not for me.  In fact, nothing is more depressing to me than seeing Christmas after New Years Day.  It’s almost as bad as the Valentines display I saw in A.C. Moore the week before Christmas.

What was up with THAT!?

Any-Who.  We have plans on New Years Day and on New Years Eve, so our decorations need to come down TODAY.  And I can’t WAIT.  I know, I’m certifiable.

But you see, it’s all about getting a fresh start to the New Year.  In fact, today is going to be all about getting a fresh start.

First thing this morning, I’m going to kick off the New Year with a trip to the gym.  I haven’t been in a week, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think I miss it.  Is it possible that I’ve outgrown my allergy to exercise?

Or perhaps I’ve just finally found my niche.  I’ve discovered I love working out surrounded by people who are doing the same thing I’m doing.  This is as opposed to working out in my living room with the leg warmer clad Jane Fonda dictating to me from the TV and the dirty dishes calling my name from the nearby kitchen sink.  And I wondered why I could never stay committed to an exercise regimen.  Hmmm.

So for Christmas, my kids gave me earphones for Christmas.  Now when I’m walking on the treadmill, I will be able to actually hear the TVs on the wall.  Although I was getting pretty good at lip reading.  Hey, it was either that or get seasick reading a magazine.  But those days are history.  Now I can tune into the TVs with the rest of the gym rats.

Then I will hurry home and get started taking down our trees.  I always have these grand plans of organizing everything neatly and putting them all away in one place so that next year I can find everything easily.  But somehow it never quite works out that way.  I do believe Husband and I are organizationally challenged.  We have good intentions, though.

What about you?  When do you take down your decorations?  Do you do it all at once, or do you spread it out over several days?  (Or months?) 

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40 Responses

  1. Yea for you getting to take your decorations down. I thought I might take ours down today but Husband wants to wait until my sister and niece come NEXT Wednesday. So it looks like we will start the new year with Christmas hanging on. As long as I can keep the dog from ripping the ribbon off for the fifth time or eating any more ornaments, I suppose we will survive. Have fun!

  2. Wow, someone is up blogging early! You seem so postive and upbeat about the new year. I really struggle with this, and actually, you kind of gave me a little shot of “Get going, Linda.” I used to go religiously to the gym. It was almost a part time job! Now I use an elliptical at home. Anyway, I do feel a little more like tackling the day and decorations after reading your post.

  3. We undecorate a room at a time, sometimes that happens all in one day and other times it takes longer.We have one more family Christmas today and then we plan to start tonight. I want it all gone and the house cleaned before I’s first b’day party.
    Have fun at the gym.

  4. Woo Hoo! It is all back in the attic. I like to have everything back to normal before New Year’s Day. I feel bad ripping it down the day after Christmas, so I try to wait 2 or 3 days. I hit the wall yesterday, and down it came.

  5. I used to take mine down Christmas night after everyone had gone home. No kidding. But in my old age I have mellowed a bit and I am working on it a bit at a time. Usually one room at a time. I always make the promises to organize everything too but then get sick of it and just plunk it all in bins in the basement so that next year I will have to hunt for everything again! Sigh……

  6. Here I am again, the dear Auntie of the Thimble (note caps.) You may need to take a pill about this but last year Christmas dec were ALL finally put away in May. Yep, May.You may not have this problem but I find bits and pcs of Christmas all over the house after the big boxes are put away. Well, I collected them on a book shelf in the spare room aka computer room-office, catch all room and finally on lovely May day they were all put away.

  7. Just as we have a tradition of putting the decorations up the day after Thanksgiving, we take them down New Years Day. But I’m dying to start taking them down now. The only thing I leave out are my snowmen. They will be put away sometime in February. Good for you for going to the gym! I need to get started on some kind of exercise program. I think I’ll start once the Christmas cookies are gone.

  8. I started taking down a few things on the 26th, because I’m with you, I don’t want to deal with Christmas stuff too much after the 25th. It’s not that I’m a scrooge. Mostly it’s because I want my house back! I want everything where it belongs and in order.

    Of course I have learned to be a little more gentle on this issue since it makes the other people in my house sad…But if it were up to me it would have been packed up days ago!

    So I guess we balance each other out!

    I was shocked too when I saw the Valentine’s stuff out before it was even the middle of December. Tell me, who was thinking of Valentine’s anyway?

  9. That’s great that you discovered an exercise regime that works for you! Good for you! I’ve been thinking about getting an iPod to help “spice up” my runs…

  10. Our stuff came down on the 27th. I used to leave it all up until the 1st. But now I try to get it all put away before the birthday party. On Ruthi’s 1st birthday, I took the decorations off the tree and redecorated it in pink balloons and streamers. I thought that may be a yearly thing – not so much. The first one was good, but now the tree goes away before her birthday. And I try to put all the Christmas stuff away in one day. This year was easy, as I didn’t put as much out.
    I wish I could think about exercising right now, but I’m just too tired!

  11. Mine come down New Year’s Day and this year for some reason I can hardly wait. I bought those rubbermaid maid boxes last year that are green with red lids, and I’m telling you I can’t believe how it’s simplified taking out and putting away of Christmas stuff. I know exactly which are the Christmas stuff now.

  12. The tree came down this morning!! Unfortunately that means all the ornaments are on my dining room table waiting to go back in their containers. I find that I usually pack up in a day or two, but always before New Years. I like to have a fresh start to the new year with somewhat of a clean house! I need to get by butt back on the treadmill too…as soon as I clean off the closet on top of it!!

  13. Well our decorations were packed and put away on Christmas day evening. But then, they weren’t many, seeing as I finally talked my fam into NO TREE this cmas! ha. (Who’s certifiable, now?) 😉

  14. I’m hoping to get them done today, but we’ll see. As long as they’re all packed away by the time my husband goes back to work next Wed I’ll be happy. I also have every intention of putting them back neatly and organized, but it never happens. I just throw it all back in the box and put it in the attic.

    Good for you for working out on the weekend!

  15. I would take Christmas down right now, my husband insists on holding onto the tree until New Years. But I’ve snuck everything else upstairs into the bins :-).

    Yeah on the headphones! I need to remember to bring mine to the gym, I always forget.

  16. I’m all about taking down the decorations by New Year’s Day at the latest. Not that I always meet that goal… And, does it count that I get it all down and in a big heap on the floor of the basement?

    Good for you working out before the official end of the holidays!

  17. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  18. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  19. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  20. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  21. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  22. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  23. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  24. We undecorated today. It is very cathartic for me to put everything away. I got a new ornament container today, and every ornament fit in one container! I was in Heaven! It’s amazing how empty the room looks without that huge tree.

    We also did the “Great Toy and Clothing Purge of 2007” We got home from our travels yesterday, and before getting out the new stuff, I was determined to get rid of a lot. We’ll be taking a trip to Goodwill on Monday.

  25. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  26. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  27. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  28. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  29. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  30. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  31. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  32. Oh, yeah! I totally agree about the gym. I will never stick to anything unless I have encouragement from others. I also tend to work harder when I’m with others, as opposed to home with my lonely treadmill.

  33. I took them down today, but I felt I was doing it a week early. Last year I bought red bins and we have pared down so much everything fits easily in them.

    I really do need to figure out an exercise plan that will work for me. I used to take the dog for a walk everyday, and it may come to that again. For a long time, I went to my husband’s work at lunch and we walked together. He just can’t stand the neighborhood anymore.

    Perhaps now that I have an ipod, though, I can load sermons and such on it. Hmmm …

  34. I am with you on the removing of the Christmas decorations. When the tree gets to the point where one of our cat walks by and entire branches worth of needles fall off – down it goes!

    Happy New Year!

  35. I can’t wait to get my decorations down!!! As usual the Christmas Fairies came and stole my Christmas spirit about 3 weeks ago when my Dad’s care was handed over to me. So, I’m ready for a clean slate and a chance to start new! I’m looking forward to getting back into my routine and find some sense of normality.

    Happy New Year!

  36. eh, i hardly put anything up this year, but i bought some big plastic Christmas storage bins so everything is TOGETHER, at least. i un-decorate on the 1st 🙂 while playing Elf in the background.

    although this year may be a bit flawed since the tree we put up is only like 2 feet tall. normally i un-decorate the ACTUAL tree, not a plastic blue one. lol.

  37. I’m with you. I feel so refreshed when all the decorations come down. I do all mine in one day, one afternoon to be exact. While the toddler sleeps. My living room feels so spacious now!

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