January 6, Epiphany,
the day I normally undress our Christmas trees.
Instead today I play Christmas music not yet heard
such as Aimee Mann's album....
"Whatever happened to Christmas?
It's gone and left no traces
Whatever happened to the faces
Or the glow......"
No, I'm not yet ready to let go of a tree we put up late,
and the tree has kept green so much longer
in sand in the old ice cream bucket.
January did bring an end to orange in the kitchen,
to those pumpkins that I held onto,
just as I'm holding onto this tree.
Instead I've wanted shining glass...
and greens.
And last night I brought out the three camels
we found at a Goodwill store,
in remembrance of the custom in some countries
where children leave their shoes by the door
the night of January 5th,
along with grass and water for the camels of the Magi.
The camels will go back in their box tomorrow
and I'll probably wake up one day soon,
look at the Christmas tree and say,
"Okay, you're outta here."
Then again some countries don't take Christmas finery
down until Candlemas Day so don't hold me to it.
What about you, is it all down, put away, tossed out?
[And lest you think you've escaped having to see family pictures of our Christmas, I just haven't had time to edit a hundred down to the number I can get away with posting here. ]
Dewena, Yes, I have packed away all my decorations...But I am hoping the happy feeling can stay in my heart. :):) When we were young kid, we liked the tree to stay up for as long a s possible. It was a bright spot in our home. I usually leave our tree till after the new years. It's almost time for seed catalogs and garden planning. I am not so into Valentine's. Blessings to you, xoxo,Susie
ReplyDeleteMy Christmas is all packed away. We didn't put up the tree this year because our Christmas celebrations were at other people's homes. I missed it, but didn't miss taking it down and packing away the ornaments. I host book club at our house tonight, so that was extra motivation to get Christmas packed away, but I think our group will be small because of predictions here in southern Iowa of a mix of snow and freezing rain. At least the house is all clean and tidy, and Mike and I will have leftovers to tide us over!
ReplyDeleteWell, my santas, random pieces and garlands have been rounded up and packed away, but my trees are still up. I'm with you, not ready to let go just yet! I like the glow at night!
ReplyDeleteNot yet! I took down all the misc Christmas stuff but left up all the trees for now. The main tree in the living room, the tiny tree in my bedroom, and the girls have a tree down in their living room. I'm so sad to take down the tree this year!!
ReplyDeleteMy tree is still shining also. We will not put it away until this weekend. We were gone so much of the month of December that we really never had a chance to enjoy the twinkling lights and the peace that comes along with sitting, gazing and pondering life! Candlemas Day? I'm with you on that!! :-) Love and hugs to you sweet Dewena!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet story about the camels, Dewena. I've never heard that before. Yes, our Christmas tree is down, and I really miss it because it had the strongest pine scent this year. It's nice to see green in the home; I don't have enough of it. It looks charming in your kitchen.
ReplyDeleteI hope the new year is being good to you so far, Dewena.
love, ~Sheri
Since I didn't have a tree, I guess my answer is yes ;).
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting the sand helped your tree to live longer. Something to consider if a tree is ever in my future again.
I'm writing this while on the beach in Nsples. :)
Happy New Year Dewena!
hundreds of pictures are fine with me.
ReplyDeletei'll happily go through them all.
such beautiful camels.... and custom. lovely.
the wren house has red tartan on the tables and heavy crystal candle holders and red poinsettias still out.
i put the little tree away until next year... but couldn't pack away the tartan and sparkling glass just yet.
the poinsettias are silk velvet so no chance of them dying.
and i do love them. and we're expecting possible snow again on saturday and sunday. i wanted it to stay cozy.
xo♥
Sweetie, you just hold onto that tree as long as you want. Why rush? I on the other hand had my decorations up very early so right after Christmas I was ready to tuck them back into the attic. Those camels are amazing. why can't I ever find anything like that in my Goodwill?
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I had to put everything away before Christmas so I could start painting the walls!
ReplyDeleteBrends
I don't think I've heard the story of the camels before. It's a nice tradition. I packed up Christmas over the weekend. It was sad to do, but the timing was right this year. But, I went to visit a friend this evening and her house was still decorated, so that was nice!
ReplyDeleteOh I love those camels...
ReplyDeleteOur Christmas Decorations / ornaments were lovingly put away yesterday ...
2016 is truly upon us, the days go so quickly.
All the best Jan
The poignant lyrics of Aimee Mann's song are so very true, aren't they? Wouldn't it be wonderful if people kept that Christmas spirit throughout the year? Maybe leaving something from Christmas around the house, too, would help us to remember that glow that shines from gratitude and goodwill.
ReplyDeleteWe've still got our mini faux fir perched on the coffee table, as well as a few cute stockings hanging from door handles, a poinsettia stands by the window, pearly ornaments fill baskets, and a ceramic manger emitting a soft light when plugged in, creates a peaceful, quiet ambiance. So, no, don't think I'll let go of Christmas, just yet, as it effortlessly fits in to my new word for the year, being 'soothing' and serene.
Your own tree looks too pretty in that beautiful blue bucket, I don't blame you for doing the same!
Happy New Year, my dear Dewena!
Hugs,
Poppy
I must confess all of Christmas is put away now. I just finished it yesterday. Oh no, wait! I just noticed the wreaths are still hanging on the doors. Oops. I'll have to get to those. I did leave pinecones out amongst my usual decor. I like that over the winter months. I don't blame you for leaving your decor out, though. It's beautiful, Dewena. xo ~ Nancy
ReplyDeleteI say hold on as long as you want to! I notice that some people in my neighborhood had tossed their trees on Jan. 2; but many houses are still all lit up. As I have no Christmas decor of my own, I'm happy they haven't wanted to let go yet, either!
ReplyDeletelove your photos and those camels - and your haircut up above. I trim my own and it looks like it - ...i need to find someone in this small town i live in but haven't jumped in yet to do so. i so need to.
ReplyDelete