Today we took down the Christmas tree and all the decorations (we only have 1 large plastic tote full).
I know that alot of people tend to put up their tree the day after Thanksgiving... but it seems to vary greatly when people take their decor down. I have a friend who lives in Paris... and she had posted the other day on Facebook that the french tend to keep their decor up well into January. Here in the US; things seem to move faster. I even know people who take everything down the day after Christmas.
"Traditionally, Catholics did not take down their Christmas trees and other Christmas decorations until January 7, the day after Epiphany. The Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day; the period before that is Advent, the time of preparation for Christmas. The twelve days of Christmas end on Epiphany, the day that the Three Wise Men came to pay homage to the Child Jesus." -- from google
I thought this was an interesting blog about it...
Anyway.
Things I am grateful for today:
-the very cute/kitchy Christmas tree that I ordered off of Amazon this year for only $35.
Although it looked scary coming out of the box... it shaped up quite nicely.
-our toy Bumble. He's cool. Oh, and check this out...
-ornaments. My husband has a wonderful collection of Star Trek Hallmark ornaments. Every year, his mother would get him that year's newest addition... and every time we see them... we think of her.
-Christmas tree lights. All white, mixed colors, all blue... they all look awesome. One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is to drive around town and see what lights people have put up.
-our tree topper. To go with our super kitchy tree... I found a vintage 1950's star tree topper on Ebay. It's perfect.
-poinsettias. We were gifted 3 red toned poinsettias by a friend who owns a restaurant and had them in the dining areas. They were not going to be open after the holidays for a few weeks... and didn't want them to die... so we "inherited" them. They are lovely. We have them sitting on our fireplace hearth.
-bells. I have bells hanging from my curtain rods year round.... but I have a few extra ones that I get out during the holidays.
-and...Brina. Off the subject of Christmas, I suppose... but she had her yearly physical today; and I am so happy that she is not only a happy girl... but in excellent health as well.