The holiday aftermath…
Posted on Wednesday, January 7, 2009 at 10:29 pmCategory: SV Moms Blog
Do you ever feel a bit let down after the holidays?
Not because the holidays weren’t great. Mostly because they were awesome, and now it’s back to reality.
The following is a post I did at Silicon Valley Mom’s Blog yesterday:
Were we robbed?
The holidays tend to bring extra mail delivered, holiday cards on the table, gifts under the tree, lots of food in the fridge, candies and cookies on the counter, and decorations all over the place. My sister once claimed that our house looked like Santa barfed all over it. I prefer to think of our holiday decor as sentimental decorations, often lovingly made by family members, placed everywhere the eye can see. It feels like home to be surrounded by such wonderful memories and beautiful things given by people that we love.
Our tradition is that the weekend after New Year’s we take down all our holiday cheer, and put it away for next year. This is no small undertaking, and usually involves a weekend’s worth of work (as well as about 20 boxes). And while some people breathe a huge sigh of relief to have the holidays over and done with, looking forward to ‘normal’ routines resuming, somehow I feel a little lost in the aftermath of it all.
All week I have walked around our house feeling like something was missing. Did I lose something? Why is this wall empty? What used to be on this console? Were our kitchen counters always this clear? Frankly, the house looks barren. There are still nails up on walls where no pictures are hanging… sort of like someone came in and stole them right off the walls.
Don’t get me wrong, our house isn’t a box with white walls. I would say that our normal decor could be described as ’simple and elegant’. It’s clean. It’s efficient. Our furniture is not cheap, but it’s also not untouchable or super fancy … it’s functional and stylish. And there is definitely not much clutter. This is probably why the holidays feel like so much, because it’s the one time of the year when we have stuff everywhere. But that just makes taking it down all the more obvious; it makes my otherwise clean and efficient home look stark and cold. I keep wandering around thinking about what we could add to make it feel warmer.
It definitely doesn’t help that the house is now so quiet also. Believe me, I like a little silence as much as the next mother. And between you and me, my three boys are way too noisy for most people’s taste. However, with preschool starting this week, I actually was lonely without everyone around. There were no grandparents or great-grandparents casually dropping by to say hello and have a cup of tea. Auntie Katie’s vacation was over, so there weren’t plans being made and phone calls to check-in. Daddy went back to work leaving no more projects around the house that involved power tools or Home Depot trips. It was just me and the boys. In fact, sometimes it was just me and the boy … because the two bigger kids went to preschool for part of the week.
I have to admit that this week has made me a bit sad. I was definitely ready for the frantic pace of the holiday season to stop. However, I didn’t expect there to be a gaping hole where the holidays once were. This might be nature’s way of telling me it’s time to wipe the slate clean for 2009. Time to decorate the year a new way, make new noise to fill my days, start fresh with white walls. I guess I had better get started… but like my three year old said to me today, “I can’t wait until Christmas comes again.”
January 8th, 2009 12:00
I feel the same way.
January 9th, 2009 10:05
Sorry I have not called. I couldnt even if I wanted to. I have 0 voice. Your dream come true!