New Year’s Day, I traditionally take down all the Christmas decorations, and file them into the basement.  That is generally followed by a darn good vacuum to take all the dropped pine needles away. Not this year though.  Nope those little articficial trees that have no scent, have no needles to drop either – they just go into a box and get filed with everything else. The wreaths and door swags, of course, were real and were takn apart – the pine clippings to the compost, the bow to the garbage and the metal base ring into storage until next year.

Much as I  like the decorations, it is great to have surfaces cleaned and table and nicknacks back to where they should be.