[the only chalk painting I ever did]
Do you take your Christmas decorations down on Epiphany, January 6th? Or even earlier?
Do any of you keep them up until Candlemas Day, on February 2nd as some do traditionally?
We always took down our fresh Christmas tree by New Year's Day but waited until January 6th for everything else.
Not this year, this year we plan to keep them up until Candlemas Day.
You all know why we couldn't bring ourselves to begin unpacking Christmas things in November. But not only were we heartbroken for the loss of Otis and Milo, RH had just lost a sibling and other dear family members had just learned of a health crisis.
[my mother and father, so romantic in the snow]
[RH and I, no snow but still romantic, right?]
We're going to keep Christmas around for a while, keep it around to enjoy with BreeBree and James Mason, when they come. Watch It's A Wonderful Life with them snuggled between us on the sofa.
[RH and one of his brothers and sister with Santa]
Maybe watch Elf and A Christmas Story, all of the great ones that we weren't in the mood for early.
We'll even leave our Christmas tree up because for the first time ever we didn't put up a fresh tree.
Instead we put up the sparkly tree that was in my dressing room at our old house.
And an odd French prism bought decades ago, never found another one--wish we had a dozen of them.
The tree sits on an old green metal plant stand that normally holds a diffuser and essential oils in my bedroom. The tree snaps securely in the stand and the rim holds a collection of vintage pale green and pink Shiny Brite ornaments.
This tree looks surprisingly just right against the old pine paneling of this room, a fun surprise.
There are other Christmas treasures scattered around the house, even though we shared many of our collections with family when we downsized two years ago.
These are photos that RH took early one morning while I was still asleep. He turned on only the tree and twinkle lights and snapped these and I was charmed by them.
We'll see if I really do keep them up until February 2nd. I think they will suit my love of winter because I always shake my head when I see others pining for Spring as soon as New Year's Day passes. Don't they remember the hot days of July and August?
But we'll see. Once I look at my blog friends' pristine January rooms, maybe I'll change my mind.
What about you? When Christmas is over is it over for you? Or do you like to let it linger?
"I sometimes think we expect too much
of Christmas Day.
We try to crowd into it the long arrears
of kindliness and humanity of the whole year.
As for me, I like to take my Christmas
a little at a time, all through the year."
David Grayson in
A Day of Pleasant Bread
