January 04th, 2018

This is it.  Today is the day.  I dread this day all season and postpone it as long as is reasonably possible.  But today is the day that I will Undecorate  the House.  The UnChristmassing, if you will.  And it's not because it's a lot of work.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I do not shy away from a task due to it's difficulty factor.  It's that Christmas decorations are just so darned pretty!

​There is a magic inherent in the lights and baubles, the bright colours and sparkle that is absent otherwise.  At least in our house.  Not to say that I think our normal everyday household is blah. It's not "Meh" in the least and in fact, I absolutely am in favour of every decorating decision that we have made here. But it reeks of ordinariness.  Christmas decorations elevate it a zillion or so levels.  It's hard to not smile looking at a house all lit up after dark. Even a tiny little house like ours looks extra special outlined in twinkling lights.

,The lights draw you in, makes it look like a place you might want to visit.  The wreath on the door, all lit up itself, changes the entry from a regular, rather old and beatup door (which eventually we plan to replace by the way) to a cheery portal. The courtyard itself glows.  Even if the houselights are off inside, the Christmas lights surrounding it make it a cozy place to sit and watch the stars at night.  I can spot Orion without hesitation every single time.

​I know people who cannot wait to get their decorations down. Perhaps to them, the magic ends on Christmas Day. Once the gifts are open and the wrappings and ribbons and bits of this'n'that cleaned away, it's done.  I understand that intellectually. I do.  Christmas decorations take up space on table tops and mantels, doors and floors, furniture perhaps has been moved to accommodate the tree and doggone it, I want my house back, is the thought.   My Mother called it clutter.  To her, the house looked messy and cluttered with all the Christmas tchotchkes spread around.  And looking through her eyes, I can see that. 

​Then there is the time factor.  Who has the time to decorate the house only to, a few short weeks later, undecorated it?  It seems so inefficient. If you tried to explain it to someone who never celebrated Christmas before, they might think you were crazy.  And perhaps we are, a little bit.  But in a wonderful way.  The best kind of koo-koo.  The kind that still believes in the magic of Christmas.  I find it so hard to let go of that magic.

​But on the other hand, I don't want to be that person who still has their Christmas lights up in June.  That looks just lazy.  As if I couldn't be bothered to take it down because it doesn't matter. Which cheapens the holiday.  If I can't go out of my way a little bit to take the decorations down, (or put them up for that matter) the specialness of the decorations and the holiday is lessened.   Part of the wonderfulness of the Christmas tradition, is the transformation of a home from ordinary to extraordinary and then back again.  

​And since it's that last part, that "back again' part that I have yet to do, I'd best get started.  I won't have the joy of creating the Christmas Magic in the house next holiday if I leave it out all year.  So all of the ornaments will be tucked away, each in their own little box or bag, carefully and lovingly wrapped in tissue. The step stool will be called back into action.  The tulle garland will be painstakingly folded and saved for next year.  The new little glass tree that I indulgently treated myself to will be undecorated and put back in it's packaging.  The snowmen, my  Santa, the sleigh and the hot pink reindeer, the Nativity, the wreath and the lights will all be put into Rubbermaid bins and stacked back in the utility room.  The cards will come down, the tree taken apart, and the house will once again be as it was before. As if Christmas had never been.

Good thing I have my memories :)

​Let the UnChristmassing Begin!