Yesterday it began. The first of the couple of days total to take down the holiday decor.
I started indoors. Do you do that? Perhaps leave your outdoor decorations a
little longer, lighting up your home and the darkness of the winter nights.
I love driving up our street - the cottage is at the end on the cul-de-sac - and
seeing the brightness welcoming me home.
Also, it's very damp out there now after rain off and on over the past
several days - not conducive to climbing ladders to disrobe the arbor
of its lovely fairy lights, or taking down the Christmas tree still looking
so lovely in the gazebo.
After the holidays everywhere looks bare. Even my sweet santo has lost her
golden wings, glittery headdress and rosary beads, I think she's needs to be
lighter for a while. Her crown remains for now.
My collection domes are in limbo. I replaced a few things but need to completely
redo them with freshly dried rosebuds - these are getting a bit crumbly - and
other little treasures.
The red cushions with their holiday greetings, jeweled snowflakes, curly lambs
and reindeer are boxed up along with the furry red throw. . . .I miss it already!
The hearth is prepared for this evening when I'll be watching the new season
of Downton Abbey, as will many of you I'm sure. I can hardly wait to meet the
new characters, and of course the older ones will, I'm quite certain, continue to bring
us some wonderful Sunday evenings of entertainment.
The mantel is another place where I need to come up with something attractive.
The white iron candlesticks will stay - red candles are gone and the grey ones
are back. I just put these things up for the time being . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . .and, don't laugh, the pumpkins I spray painted nickel silver for Christmas are
still solid as rocks and are hanging about because I love them so and haven't the heart
to toss them out YET!
Are you busy getting back to some semblance of order around your home?
Do you have any special interior projects planned during these cooler months?
Any great books waiting to be read while snuggling by the fire?
Will YOU be watching Downton Abbey Series 5?
Sorry, all these questions, you must think me very nosey!!!
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Christmas for some comes January 7th so you're still good with the lights. :) I think fairy lights are lovely all year long. I didn't do much decorating and yet there are some things that need to be put away and changed out. I did some cleaning in preparation for our son's arrival tomorrow morning. He's currently hanging out at Heathrow. :) I do hope we don't have the fog that we had this morning as it caused delays and diversions. Have a wonderful day. Tammy
ReplyDeleteHello Mary: I did not put up a lot of decorations this year as I knew I would not be home a lot. My outdoor wreath, which is illuminated with lights was the only thing I put up, and it is now taken down. I took advantage of the nice Friday past, and now so glad I did as the weather here is not nice. Still have the wreath on my front door which will stay there for a few more days.
ReplyDeletePlanning on doing some deep cleaning and decluttering this coming week.
Have a great day and keep warm.
Patricia
Hi Mary. I leave everything up until Jan 6. On the seventh I'll take down the outside lights and then slowly work on the indoor decorations. I love snowmen, so they get to stay out a while longer! You have such a lovely home ... with or without the red decorations! I'm ready for Downton and I will tape it and watch again before next Sunday. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteHi Mary, your home looks lovely for January. Winter is upon us today (snow) and for the next 3 months we we need to keep cozy looking longer I guess. Our tree etc. is still up and I have the lights on this dreary afternoon to cheer me. I will dismantle it tomorrow, sadly. Most Christmas related things are packed away but I've left 'winter' themed items out for a few weeks. Our outside lights will remain on in the evenings to cheer the landscape. I'll be purging some things too. Way too much stuff! Have a nice week Mary. xx
ReplyDeleteWe are now de-decorated and feel quite bare I have to say, but with normal routines starting again this week it gives me a little less to clean. As for projects this year, this will be to do even more de-cluttering as we are hoping that this year will be the year to move house. Enjoy Downton Abbey this evening - I have just finished watching this series so won't spoil it. Sit back and relax xxxx
ReplyDeleteOur christmas things are well settled in their storage tubs for another year. The deck is cleaned up - even the outdoor things are put away. The deck is ready for the rainy season which will now last into March or early April.
ReplyDeleteIndoors we have plans to finish painting the kitchen cupboards - I painted the doors soft mint, now we have to paint the boxes of the cupboards white and hopefully that will be done by spring. We have low VOC paint so we can do this indoors in the winter.
I may be the only person who has not watched Downton Abbey - we don't even have a tv so guess that is a good enough reason. I hope you enjoy your new season.
I'm reading a book about Audubon's life and art - is was a christmas gift. As for craft projects, I'm embroidering day-of-the-week dish towels and pillowcases, and in between I'm crocheting clothes for my dolls.
Your rooms are lovely.
My house is looking a little bare, as well. I took down all the Christmas things but haven't felt inspired to add back the everyday things. Fighting another cold/cough. Tis the season! We want to freshen up our bathrooms in the next few months and I'd like to find some drapes for the living room window (a small bay and I just can't figure out what to do). There are blinds, but drapes would add some softness to the area.
ReplyDeleteIt's very rainy here today and we're glad to stay indoors and hunker down by the fire.
Your home looks like a cozy place for you during these wintry months. I confess to having watched the latest season of DA already, but I hope to watch it all again. Enjoy!
I love that our neighbor leaves his lights on until they burn out. Seriously. I just wish I felt good enough to undecorated. I actually looked around and decided most of my decorations were more of a winter décor so I was safe.......and the tree is staying up until the rest of the packages can be delivered. It's just a little one and it's not real. So, I am just pitiful, hah.
ReplyDeleteMy house inside and out is undecorated and back to normal. I am still playing around with the fireplace mantel. Not sure what I want to do with it for the winter. I am really looking forward to Downton Abbey tonight. It starts in 8 minutes! No major projects scheduled for us this winter.
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Penny
Just watched Downton and finished ALL THE LIGHT WE CAN NOT SEE today. It was a good book. Heading to our house in the city to take down Christmas decorations. At least, I don't have to drag it all out at the farm, but putting it away seems harder.
ReplyDeleteYour home is looking very warm and cozy...the chaise by the fire, the pretty vignettes, I don't think anything looks bare. I finished up the packing away of Christmas decor today...three days spent on it, as I was careful to label everything so I can pull out bins in order of the rooms they go in next December. I think that will be easier to spread over free time during the early holiday season. The tree was put in the backyard until trash day and Al even vacuumed up the needles! I just don't know what I want to do with things yet, but it is driving me a little batty. The living room almost echoes! Just kidding of course.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy DA. I hope to sit back and catch up from Season 1 someday so I can join all of you ardent fans! :)
Jane x
Alas, I didn't even decorate for Christmas this year because I knew we'd be going to our daughter's anyway, and well, I was pretty worn out after all that sewing I did (check out my piece-fulness blog) but a few days before, I suddenly wished I had a small tree, and had put out the lights. Next year I will make more of an effort. I just need to start in with my resolution to get more organized and start doing some serious cleaning and tossing and whatever-ing in this house! :-) One thing that seriously needs organizing is the Christmas STUFF. It's in such a jumble that was one reason I couldn't handle dealing with it this past time. So, perhaps next year I can post a picture of my organizing efforts in 2015 and how that has made my life so much easier! :-)
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year, Mary, I just spent some time catching up with you and your blog. Your home is as lovely as ever; and your granddaughter a beauty!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I was delighted to watch the first episode of Season 5 and look forward to several more weeks of good entertainment.
ReplyDeleteI think pumpkins are beautiful any time of year!