Monday 5 January 2009

Antlers Away....


Antlers away, and so is the sleigh, it's time for these little deer to come out and play.
Though looking out of the window at the almost horizontal snow falling at the moment, I wish I had taken the shot today, it would have looked more deer-like than a slight sparkling of white frost on the ground.
But Christmas is all behind us for another year, but don't fret, only another fifty weeks and we can do it all again!
But how many of you keep the tradition of Twelfth Night I wonder? Are you sick of the sight of tinsel and baubles once the Big Day itself has gone, or Boxing Day, or does New Year's day bring out the need to take it all down, it seems inappropriate to leave the decorations up any longer?
I have to say I am a bit of a traditionalist, but find that as I get older this is waning a bit, and the sticking to keeping the cards out, the tree lit and so on going until January 6th is waning as well. Somehow it now seems pointless... it's all behind us now and hanging on to the decorations just doesn't feel the same. So, yesterday, much to my husband's amazement, I took down the wreath, the small black tree with its tiny turquiose baubles and lights was dismantled and packed away, and the cards taken down. But the lights remain... those on the dresser are staying put, as are those across the dining room fireplace, and the ones I stuffed into a clear glass vase and stood in the fireplace have now been put into a smoked amber glass vase and are being left in place. The outside lights will be switched on for the last time tonight and removed at the weekend.. except for the permanent ones on the summerhouse and the holly tree.
And what do you do with your cards? Recycle via Tesco/local council or by reusing them? I tend to keep the special ones, the first one from our granddaughter this year (with the aid of daddy holding her hand, well, she is only ten months old!), and special handmade ones from special friends... these get put away in a box. Sometimes I recycle by cutting out certain bits and making 3D cards the following year, and others, the thinner ones, I have cut into hexagons for my next patchwork project. What's left will go to the bin in Tesco.
I hope you all had a wonderful time and are looking forward to this new year, with hope and excitement and wonderings at what it will bring.

9 comments:

Quilting Cat said...

My decorations did not stay the distance this year either, all packed away now and tree cut up for kindling. Special cards kept, some used for shopping lists and others recycled into gift tags. No snow here, but bitterly cold and sun out. Happy New year PFG.

Pondside said...

Yesterday we took down the tree and put away all the decorations, save one. We kept up the wooden carousel from Germany, to light one more time - it makes the most beautiful patter on light on the ceiling as it goes round.
I've left the lights on the veranda and the huge lit tree in the field until after the 6th. I hate to give up the light!

Cait O'Connor said...

I keep fairy lights up in the cottage all the time and have little angels hung on the beams. My daughter took her tree down early too.

Mid Life Hopes said...

So delighted you are back!
I love the deer...So where is the sleigh kept??? I counted 8 deer in the picture....:)
Yeah we too felt the change of Christmas in the air too this year.
Took everything down the next day.
We generally wait until after New year.
I think it has a lot to do about the countdown right after Thanksgiving, being so time locked about it all.
xo :)
Happy New Year!

LITTLE BROWN DOG said...

What dear little deer!

I like to recycle my cards, cutting, snipping and gluing them to make new ones or gift tags for next year. I try to make sure people don't get their old cards back again (although sometimes it's impossible to remember!)

Happy New Year to you, too

xxx

Westerwitch/Headmistress said...

We took down our tree and decorations tonight and all the cards. Usually wait until the 6th - but just needed it all gone.

I always keep the latest years cards - so that every year when I can't find my Xmas card list I can go through last year's cards and make a new list. So this year I shall recycle last years cards. Well I know what I mean.

Calico Kate said...

Took ours down yesterday as it was the start of the 'new' week, and I am never quite sure when 12th night is!
Sitting room now looks very empty and the dining end of the kitchen v bare without twinkly lights on the shelves. I lit a lot of candles in the sitting room last night in place of tree lights, so that was pretty.
Can't recycle cards at Tescos as we don't have one, so I expect the ones I don't like enough to hang on to will go into the paper bin.

janerowena said...

I've found that there are two schools of thought on this - my mother told me that all decorations have to be down before 12th night or you will have bad luck, as did every other person I met in Kent. Having moved around, I encountered the rest of the population who believe that they should not come down until after 12th night.

Mine came down last night, I couldn't stand them any longer either! My outside white tree lights are still on though, I could happily keep them on all winter.

pinkfairygran said...

I have left outdoor lights on a tall holly and the summerhouse as I use these all year round... fairy lights are for life, not just Christmas you know!! Along with Brussels sprouts.