Thursday, December 26, 2013

Christmas is over....but only for a year!

My least favourite part of Christmas is taking the decorations down, which we did when we got home this morning.  But, it's all part of getting ready for the new year, I guess!  While I tend to feel the new year starts in September, not January, we do have a couple New Years traditions.

...though somehow cleaning and re-organizing the apartment to start the year as you would like it to continue is not quite as thrilling as Christmas Carols and holiday baking!  ;)

Christmas Eve - Pt 3 of 6

My favourite parts of this Christmas were putting together Lego with Nephew The Younger, having a Tea Party with the Nieceling, and seeing the two-months-from-being-a-teenager thrilled with his scooter.  Even though there's no way he will be able to use it for at least four more months!  LOL

My sister seemed to like the scarf I knit her, which makes me happy too.  I didn't take a picture of it, but it was a pretty lace pattern from More Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

Now...to prepare for that new year....

8 comments:

  1. You are the second person who I've spoken with recently who takes her decorations down quickly. I tend to leave mine until 12th night, purely from tradition, but also Christmas seems to go on here because the kids don't really get their proper presents until the night of 5th January, when they leave their shoes by the door for The Three Kings to come and fill them with presents! So I sort of leave them up for that. Having said that, my tree didn't get decorated until the morning of the 24th this year, I was sooooo way behind with doing that!
    As for starting the New Year, I suppose the only thing I really do is try and sort out my dolly/sewing room which, during the Christmas period, tends to become a bit of a dumping ground for things that don't really have a permanent home during the year......and my work table tends to get cluttered plus used for wrapping presents etc...and nothing gets put back where it should be. So that will be my first task after the 3rd January when my mum and brother leave to return to the UK. Apart from that I don't do anything special, but I do think about what I'd like to achieve during the next year....although unfortunately it doesn't always happen as it should!!!
    The photo above is lovely! It's great seeing them all in their pjs, ready for bed!
    Big hugs and a Happy New Year to you and yours!
    Sharon in Spain xxx

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    1. I'd keep mine up longer, but I'm obliged to compromise with other people. ;) We put ours up whichever weekend is closest to December 1st though, so I get to enjoy it for most of a month! :)

      I'm not familiar with the tradition of the Three Kings - that sounds neat; I will have to look it up!

      It's a mystery to me how doll/craft areas can get so cluttered, it seems like it happens as soon as you turn your back! LOL Good luck with your sorting, and I hope you are enjoying your family's visit! :D

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  2. I have a January birthday and I vividly remember getting a bike for it one year. It didn't matter that we had 3 feet of snow on the ground, it was still awesome! I rode it in the hallway all that day...

    Today, we're re-arranging furniture as that's usually how I start the new year -- making space for new things, re-evaluating the old, and deciding what to keep, donate, or sell on. I moved my doll cabinet to a (hopefully) better place for play and light and I am ridiculously excited about that. Ideally, I'd love to have a permanent set-up like you have -- it'd be soo much easier...

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    1. That sounds like a good memory! :D

      That sounds pretty similar to what we do to prepare for the new year - sort out things to donate, things to give to someone specific, finding new, hopefully more efficient places to put things... LOL It's kind of fun, in a way.

      A doll cabinet sounds like a great thing! My dolls live in photo boxes, stored out of the sun when they're not out for sewing/knitting/pictures. I originally would put up and take down the room set every time, but it took so long to set everything up that I sacrificed a corner of my room to keep it up. :D

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  3. Meh, I was ready to take mine down the next day, but didn't get to it until today. I'm so glad you had a good Christmas.

    Happy New Year to you and all of yours!!! Looking forward to all the new adventures and projects you get up to in 2014!!! Happy 2014! YAAY!

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    1. Happy New Year to you! May you have more of the good things, and less of the bad for 2014. :D

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  4. I actually tried to leave a comment here yesterday but blogspot was bit a bit tempermental.

    We tend to take down ours on New Year's Day (which was today in fact). Actually just sat down after packing the tree away.

    Christmas is like your wedding day, a lot of chaos and panic and running around and it's over in a few hours. Kind of bittersweet but we do it all again the following year!

    Happy New Year! Hope the start of the year is a good one for you.

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    1. I had trouble with leaving comments yesterday too - Blogger must have had a hiccup!

      You're right, it's a little bittersweet when Christmas is over...it's a good thing it's annual! :)

      Happy New Year!

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