Sunday, December 30, 2007

Preparing for the new year

It seems to me that for a long time most of our families go through a ritual to get ready for the new year. There is no sequence that is written down or specific date on which to get started but it always seems to happen in some orderly way. Generally it starts with taking the decorations off the Christmas tree. This seems to happen more quickly that putting them on the tree. You have to find the boxes used to store the decorations and then put the delicate ornaments in their containers so that they can be enjoyed the following and subsequent years. In our household not all the ornaments get back into the box where they had been previously stored but somehow a home is found for all.
There does seem to be one ornament left on the tree and not found until the tree is finally taken down.

Then of course the lights had to come off the tree, the stand drained of its water and then the tree taken for pickup outside or to a nearby site for grinding up. Any outside decorations or wreaths need to come down and be stored for the year.

Then the suddenly larger house needs to be vacuumed and cleaned and original decorations and pictures returned to their usual places of honor. Now the house and its occupants are ready for the new year. Whether this happens before the first of January or later on doesn't matter. It always happens at some point and the new year is under way. Happy new Year to each of you and may it be a happy and healthy year for all.

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