Monday, January 4, 2010

Getting Back To Normal

The holidays are over, and that means packing up all the cherished ornaments, hand knitted stockings, and removing all the fresh greens from around the house. Thanks to 50 mph wind gusts over the last few days, most of the exterior greens have blown to the next county, so that won't be too much work!

Are any of you, like me, lamenting the loss of sparkle in your homes? What is it about tiny white lights, glass ornaments, and crystal reindeer that can transform an ordinary house into a winter wonderland? I've always loved Christmas, but as my kids have gotten older, the excitement of giving presents has slowly turned into the excitement of creating magical vignettes throughout the house. Each year I can't wait for the latest holiday magazines to arrive in November (how I miss my beloved Country Home) so that I can start planning a total transformation of our home into a fairyland! I don't cover every surface, or do elaborate tablescapes, but I do try and create something that exists only from early December until early January. Something that makes all the ills of the year momentarily disappear, while all the wonderful things of the previous year get magnified and made sparkly!

Our house always seems empty when the 2 trees come down and it is always a little less magical when night falls and the house isn't aglow with tiny white lights in each room. But there's always next year, more ideas to incorporate, more items to be donated as I whittle down my treasures to only the things I truly love. So for now I'll just remember the things I loved about this Christmas, having our daughter back home for a few days, the big snow storm that was so pretty even if it did delay our big Christmas party, and the joy of having a healthy and happy family close by to help me celebrate another wonderful year!

What will you miss as you take down your decorations this year? Here is a picture of one of my favorite Christmas decor ideas from 2009.

Mason Jars with greens and white lights...

Click on picture to Enlarge

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