The decorations go up each year the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a HUGE job and takes all day. Getting all the decoration boxes down from the rafters, going through everything to remove broken ornaments and lights that no longer work. Putting up the tree and decorating it is Becca's specialty. We have an artificial 9 foot tree that requires a ladder to decorate, and every year at least one strand of lights has given up the ghost and needs to be replaced. Putting up the outdoor lights is Chuck's domain, although this year I helped by hanging a garland and lights on an outdoor balcony over the garage. I do everything else- mantel, stair banister, table tops, linens, dishes, candles, etc. Stripping the room of the normal decorations to make room for the Christmas things, and then the major cleanup after the decorating is done.
However, the excitement for the coming holiday season is motivating, and then you have the reward of a beautifully decorated house when you are done. I love my house with Christmas decorations- it is so cozy and festive!
On take down day you are going through everything in reverse, but there is no motivation, nothing to look forward to when you are done. And even though you bring back the normal decorations the house looks stark and barren by comparison.
This year both Chuck and Sam spent most of the day helping me with take down. The messiest part of all was taking down the live cedar garland on the banister of the stairs and loft that was totally dead and brittle within 48 hours of being hung.
This year both Chuck and Sam spent most of the day helping me with take down. The messiest part of all was taking down the live cedar garland on the banister of the stairs and loft that was totally dead and brittle within 48 hours of being hung.
It looked and smelled wonderful for the first 24 hours, after that it was nothing but a fire hazard that hung there for a month. I am just not used to this dry Utah climate. Washington humidity would have keep it fresh for at least a couple of weeks.
I have since done some research on Pinterest (where else?) and have gotten hints on how to make it last longer. But as it was, all you had to do was breathe on it to make it disintegrate into a shower of green needles.
Sam unwound the lights from around the garland, while Chuck stood below in a hail storm of green, sweeping. Many thanks to my two helpers for taking on the messiest (and itchiest!) job.
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