Putting Christmas Away

 

As much as I love the holidays, I get to the last week of December, and I am so exhausted and overwhelmed and over stimulated, that I count down the minutes until the beginning of the year.

I love spending time with my family, love the Christmas activities, church sermons, and the overall feeling of such a special time of the year.  However, there is always so much to do, so many places to be, and so many get togethers, that it's plain exhausting.

 

 

I used to leave the decorations and the tree up, until the beginning of the year, but the past few years, the day after Christmas, I bring it all down.   The clutter is put away, and everything is placed back to it's rightful place.

Does anyone else find themselves moving things around for the Christmas season?  

And when it's all put back in it's place, for some reason it always seems like the house is bigger.  Hahahah

 

This Christmas I got some really amazing gifts.  I did mention some in my Happy Homemaker Monday post.  I mostly got gifts that are practical or helpful for my every day life.

Things like massagers.....a body massager which has been the best thing ever for my shoulder tendonitis and my sciatica.  The eye massager which has also been wonderful for my sinus and headaches.  I got make up, a lip kit with balms and chapsticks and so forth.  A Christian embroidery kit with some sweet verses that I can not wait to work on.

I also got a shark floor vacuum, some chocolates, 2 new books and I bought myself a Kindle paperwhite.  I had the original Kindle, which is now ten or more years old, and no longer being able to download books or have access to the Amazon ebook store.  Bummer!!!

So I went ahead and got myself the Paperwhite, which I'm really enjoying.

 

Now, nothing will ever beat a real book for me, but I love the convenience of having hundreds of books at my fingertips, to take anywhere that I want.

 

 

 

Monday morning, the 26th, Curt and I went with my brother and sister in law, to our local Hobby Lobby for their sale.  We had been told that they would be having a 90% off sale, but it ended up being 75% off instead.  Still really good, and we were able to pick up a few items.

The first one, was this Advent Calendar for next year.  The original price is shown above, it was $149.99, marked down to $30.  The hardest part is to keep myself from actually getting into it now, and waiting a whole year instead.  Ooohhhhh it's going to be an issue, I can tell you.  Hahahah

 

We also got some stocking fireplace hangers.  Originally priced at $29.99, marked down to $6 each.  Great deal, and we got one for each of our stockings.

Curt also picked up Christmas lights, and some beautiful wooden polar bears.  I also picked up a checked black and white table runner for $3.  I'll show you that in a different post.

 

The other thing we got were some Christmas crackers.  I grew up with these, and it was something we looked forward to, as kids.  We couldn't wait to pop the crackers and get the toys that came inside.  But, it's been at 20 something years since I've had these on our Christmas table.

I find that it's more of a European thing, and not really something that is done here in the States, so I was so happy to see these.  They were originally $15 marked down to $4.  

 

 

 

We don't usually go for the after Christmas sales, but I'm glad we did this year.

 

After getting everything put away for next year, I brought down the tree, moved things back to where they belonged, got some things re-positioned or rather re-situated, and gave the house a good clean.  It feels so good to sit back and see it all tidy and cozy. 

Even though Christmas is put away, we still have New Year's coming up, and my niece Tiffany's baby boy Dalton, is turning one on New Year's eve.  So one more family get together, before we can wipe our hands off to another successful holiday season, and take a deep breath.

 

I have a few things that I want to get started with.  One of those is a Bible study on the book of Ecclesiastes.  I don't know why, but it was put in my heart while in prayer earlier this week, so I found a great study online, and ordered the book that goes along with it.

I'm quite looking forward to that.

Also, I have decided that along with trying to blog more this coming year, I am going to do a Blog 365.  Would you like to join me?

 

The way it will work is simple, we just have to make sure to post every single day, for the whole of 2023.  I know that sounds overwhelming and a bit crazy, but I don't mean like actual blog posts, though that is fine too.  I just mean something every day, it could be a simple pic of that day, something you did, or like or a sky picture, or sunset or whatever you want it to be.

 

I really am looking forward to doing this, to be able to get to the end of the year, and go back and see what we did every day.

I'll put my first post up on January 1st, and I'll actually add a linky for those that want to join.  Just so I can see who will be doing it, and therefore able to follow.  I'll also add all the blog links to those participating to the first post, and will do a sidebar list as well, that way we know who is doing it, and we can visit each other.

I do hope some of you will join in.  It will be fun, and I think it will also help us all to be more consistent in our blogging, at least for me it will really help to stay focused.

And that is pretty much all that is going on around here.  I am going to now sit, relax a bit, probably start one of my new books and then get some sleep.

Have a blessed night friends,

xoxoxo