When does something become a tradition?
When you do it once ? - well no, hardly!
Twice ?
Three times ?
How about something that you have done unfailingly for the last 36 years, that your darling daughter also does, and your mother did before you ?
I think that would probably qualify as a tradition.
Well tradition 'round here says that Christmas decorations start coming down on Twelfth Night [ January 6th ]
This is written in stone
It is an operation requiring patience, fortitude, stamina and a level of organisation of Martha Stewartian proportions to ensure that everything is packed - by room - into the correct box
because otherwise I'll have a nervous breakdown mid November when I get it all out again. It takes 5 days to do properly, and used to take longer.
As you can probably imagine, while all this transpires the house closely resembles the the Wreck of the Hesperus
Not a good time for visitors
especially a visitor who hasn't ever been an overnight guest before and whom I haven't seen for about two years
so either I try to get it all done tomorrow and Monday
OR
it will have to wait until she goes home again on Thursday
either way it's not going to happen on the 6th
sacrilege !!!
I'm leaning towards waiting till Thursday
they stay up here too, except not this year. I had them up so early I couldn't wait to pack them up again!
ReplyDeleteOurs always stay up until then as well.
ReplyDeleteI would have to go with Thursday ...
Definitely wait until Thursday. After all, you want to show off your decorating skills to your friend.
ReplyDeleteI've had mine up until Valentine's once or maybe twice.
ReplyDeleteWe always put out decorations up the first day of school holidays - my mother was cunning: the windows and curtains all had to be washed first! We took them down on 6th January. It's a tradition I continued for years [including the cleaning] but have broken many times now.
ReplyDeleteYou do it all in one day? Are you super woman?
Thursday sounds good to me!
Lynne
ReplyDeleteI think even Superwoman would take at least TWO days - me ? about 5 to do it properly and without half-killing myself in the process :]
It has on occasion taken up to 10 if there was major reorganisation going on
Leave them, and let your friend enjoy your creative skills - life is too short to worry about it all.
ReplyDeletePut one thing away on the 6th. Then you'll have kept up the tradition by starting on the right day. If it takes a little longer, who cares? At least your friend gets to enjoy the decorations.
ReplyDelete*chuckle*
ReplyDeletemethinks that Chocolatetrudi is a ge-ni-us
I shall indeed put something away on the 6th and tradition will have been preserved
Go with Chocolatetrudi!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the time with your friend! Happy new year and I'm with you on the coping thing - I don't accept - I fight to the bitter end, but you cope and manage and try and see the silver lining or the lemonade - I refuse to be a victim, and I guess you do to!
Isn't Elizabeth a genius with her postcards - I am waiting on a few more nice ones to send to her, so she can keep up the wonderful work she has taken on!
I don't know how you do it all, to be honest ... what an incredible undertaking! Good luck with the packing! And happy new year!!
ReplyDeleteMy halo is shining...my tree is packed away...one 90lt crate is packed and a couple of smaller ones are packed and I think I need to get back the other huge one I gave away. BUT
ReplyDeleteYou are a thorough bad influence Cat's Mum....you even sent Moggie off with her CATalog to buy more. I am now poor. Have no room and it will take me days to put it up next year and days to take it down.
And all the stuff that now gets moved and packed away for a month.....who started all this???
Re the 6th take down the calenders and put last years up for this week.
I worked 12 hours on the 6th, had a house inspection on the 7th, and worked 10.5 hours today (8th). Tradition or not, decorations will come down when I have the time (possibly late may)
ReplyDelete