Not to be a total bragger or anything, but it’s January 10th and my house still looks like it did on Christmas Day. As in, the tree and a billion decorations are still up. I mean, I’ve done a little bit – I’m not beyond dumping out the two vases of pine boughs that were shedding needles on the counter faster than I shed hair. I put away a candle, too, but only because it was bothering me where it sat on the sideboard.
The funny-at-first-annoying-on-day-two toilet paper snowman that tells poop jokes is still in the bathroom, lights litter my yard and porch, and the vase of tiny ornaments with candy canes lights up at 4pm and turns off at 10.
When do regular people take down Christmas decorations, anyway?
Is it the Sunday after New Years? Is it New Years Day? There’s probably a “rule” for this the way there is for not wearing white pants until after Easter but meh. I mean, really, who cares? Having my tree up isn’t really hurting anybody right? Except maybe the vacuum, but its feelings don’t count for much around here.
It’s not that I’m lazy lazy. It’s more that my kid didn’t go back to school until Wednesday after a two-and-a-half week break (!!!), I’m trying to keep my hours up at work, and also – primarily maybe – taking down Christmas decorations is depressing.
I mean, for months, it’s been holiday breaks, family gatherings, food and food and food, anticipation, excitement, and twinkly lights. And now – boom. January. Bleh. Plus, after sitting for hours on the computer for work, I just want to curl up with a computer and see whether Netflix’s suggestions about shows I’ll like are accurate. Important research, really.
January. The gym is crowded again, evening comes too early, morning too late, and it feels like bedtime at the same time that feels like dinnertime in the summer. Plus, it’s not like Valentine’s Day offers a bunch of opportunities to say “only 30 days until Valentine’s Day!” because who mostly cares. Plus, the decorations for V-Day are kinda crap.
I mean, I’ll give January a few props. After all, there aren’t many months when it’s two degrees one day, and 58 degrees the next. Not too shabby, really! Plus, we recently enjoyed a day of skiing where nobody ended up in the emergency room. I can’t not acknowledge the awesomeness of that.
But overall, January isn’t known for for being festive. Although it is my friend Julie’s birthday month, and since she’s seven months older than I am, we can make aging jokes and making aging jokes when they’re not about you never stinks. ← Remember when you were a kid and it was cool to be the older one? Enjoy that now, youngsters!
So OMG it’s January. I didn’t really make any “real” resolutions, because not keeping them is just one more way to feel like a lazy loser, but I do hope 2019 is the year I’m more consistent about the gym, outdoor time, and figuring out what I want to do with this blog now that I don’t want to write about what I started it to share. Who knows – maybe 2019 is even the year of going easy on myself for still having the Christmas tree up on January 10.
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This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post. This week’s prompt is “OMG it’s January…” hosted by yours truly and my friend Kerri from Undiagnosed but Okay.
Kenya has retired from hosting permanently (for now anyway bwahahhaaa), and Kerri has stepped in for “as long as she can stand handle it” or something like that. 😉
by Kristi Campbell
JT Walters - First, you live in a Nordic climate so my recommendation on the tree is keep it until it turns brown. Florida didn’t have trees this year so your keeping up your end for Florida.
Christmas decorations, besides the tree, stayed up year around while my Mom has end stage cancer just trying to keep her spirits up.
Your life is your master piece. Paint it as you will. You can have occasional dinner parties with/without the decorations. No one judges you but you so here is to you going easier on yourself. I love your blogs because you make life seem magical but if you scaled it back to twice a week I’d understand. Making the ordinary, extraordinary is magical and a great talent.
I feel for you with the light issue. I fly to Nordic climates with dark skies and I sleep around the clock. It was bloody awful in England but tanning beds (I know they are bad for you.) help. You are probably suffering for a vitamin D deficiency because you are exposed to a lot less sunlight. You have to get out in the sun more.
Kristi, you are finally home. You are in a comfortable place and you are settled. That is Christmas. When you decide the tree is coming down it will be gone. You always said, “Colorado is where you wanted to live.” You prefer it to any other place so you’ve landed.
Per Netflix;
Secret City
Travelers
I’ll texted you the very long list.
😘😘😘🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻. I get to beta read your first novel. You have lots of material to draw from there.😊January 10, 2019 – 8:22 pm
Kristi Campbell - Thanks for the Netflix recommendations and the no judgement! Tanning beds are bliss. But yeah, I blame some of my wrinkles on my younger day obsession with them. Luckily, Colorado is super sunny so that’s not really the issue. More the cold. I love living here. I hope we can stay!January 12, 2019 – 9:37 pm
Kerri - First love Tucker’s hair even if it’s more little man than boy
Second took all my decorations down last weekend. Then Abby asked me tonight why there was a lone Santa and nutcracker on the mantle!January 10, 2019 – 8:33 pm
Kristi Campbell - HA to leaving a few up accidentally or on purpose! And WEEP to more little man than boy. I can’t believe he’s going to turn 10 years old this year. GAH.January 12, 2019 – 9:38 pm
Lizzi - You’ll get your act together when you’re ready, and there are no rules. Except maybe the 12 days of Christmas, and who does that anyway? BUT once you’ve cleared and tidied, there’s something a bit plain and cathartic about January, like simple food after over-indulgence.
Being outdoors more is a great resolution. I should try something like that.January 11, 2019 – 4:31 am
Kristi Campbell - Here’s to being outdoors, although with your runs, you’re out quite a bit right? I just notice how much better my brain is when I’ve spent more time outside so I want to make myself do it more. And thanks for the “no rules” comment and I’ve NEVER known what the 12 days of Christmas actually are.January 12, 2019 – 9:39 pm
Kenya - As you know I didn’t put up a tree this year but there were three wreaths outside, a couple of bows and some inside stuff. The day I got home from my parents I came in and turned the alarm off and took the wreaths down. I think not a regular person in that aspect. It was December 27th. I did everything else the next day.
I’ve been giving the new people at the gym some space and working out at home until the newbies wear off 🤣. But anyway a Netflix recommendation was accurate and I’ve watched two episodes of YOU AND jogged in place for the 47ish minutes that it was on. I’m doing something, my calves hurt. So I promised myself that’s how I’ll watch finish that show “running”. See I’m not regular at all……January 11, 2019 – 10:13 am
Kristi Campbell - I think it’s more regular than not to get the stuff down and mine is STILL up even though we were all home all day today. I think the snow has messed me up a little too. So much stuff outside and it’s all wet and snowy so I figure I’ll wait but then don’t jump on the chance to take it down when it’s like 60 degrees like it was this week. LOL to giving all the new gym people time to leave. HA!
I need to check out YOU, and also I need to jog to it. I just sit and watch. 47 minutes with calves hurting is an excuse to watch something for sure.January 12, 2019 – 9:42 pm
Emily - Tree came down on January 6th for us and I have no idea if that was considered “late” but I’m with you — who cares, right? And also, it’s funny (well, not haha funny) that you mentioned the direction of your blog, because well, it’s pretty obvious I’m done blogging, (but still like to read them!) and I’m not sure what to do about mine either. Do I just keep letting it sit there in perpetuity and pay my yearly domain fees? I definitely don’t want to lose the years of work I put into it, but on the other hand, what’s the point of just keeping it if I’m not planning to write anything else on it? (I mean, maybe I will here and there, but that’s kind of a waste to keep it going for the very occasional post). Any helpful input???January 11, 2019 – 1:37 pm
Kristi Campbell - Hm. Regarding the blog, I’d keep it. Especially since you’re writing in other areas like your memoir. From what I can gather, publishers like to put money into writers who have some followers already – which is sad, but I’d keep it for that, I think. I often think of totally redoing my blog to have better “sections” – like special needs one, and personal essays but OMG that feels like so much work, you know? I think you (well, I can’t say what you’d feel but for me anyway) might regret taking it down, and then what if some jerk buys the domain knowing you might want it back? But also, yeah, I dunno. I definitely don’t have the same passion for posting here that I used to. I guess I still miss that passion though, so I keep it, hoping that the new “purpose” strikes me with gold. Ha.January 12, 2019 – 9:45 pm
Emily - Thanks for this input Kristi – very helpful to hear someone else’s internal thinking on the topic. I think all blogs need the occasional overhaul to keep them relevant, but I get it, the thought of a re-do can be overwhelming. Anyway, glad I at least get to keep reading your posts!January 15, 2019 – 1:47 pm
Debi - I keep finding Hannukah decorations that have become unnoticed parts of the scenery of our home. Hannukah ended December 9. Is that a blue star candle in the bathroom? Darn it.January 14, 2019 – 10:28 am
Kristi Campbell - LOL they really do become part of the scenery don’t they? 😉January 14, 2019 – 8:12 pm
Dana - There are still a few houses in my neighborhood with lights outside – what’s the rush? I took down all our holiday cards this weekend, and then my holiday clean up was done.
We have our first school snow day today…I bet they don’t close schools in Colorado like they did here, do they?January 14, 2019 – 2:50 pm
Kristi Campbell - All the lights on the outside of my house are up. But the tree is down, as of 9pm last night. Also, I finished addressing our New Years cards just now. So progress? YAY for snow days! We did close one day but not because of snow – it was really cold and icy. We had school this week while it was snowing and the whole way, Tucker was like “I can’t believe we have school!!!!” Then later laughed today when he heard VA schools were closed. “Wimpy!”January 14, 2019 – 8:20 pm
Kerry - My tree has been moved to a different location, but still up with lights, just outside my living room window. My mom put it there so I could see lights when I look outside.
Speaking of outside, I don’t mind January, but it does go on a little long, leading to the turning of another age older when February rolls around for me. I do wish I could go skating more. I wish I had someone who loved it and would go with me more. Maybe then I could practice and not fall on my butt anymore. I have never gone skiing before. Maybe I should try it. I would go with someone, hold on, but I don’t really know how it would work. Maybe it would be too risky.
You are the only one in your home. If you don’t take things down, the world doesn’t end. No pressure.January 15, 2019 – 11:23 pm