Why I Take Our Christmas Tree Down On Christmas Day

I love Christmas, it’s my favorite holiday. Every year I resist the urge to put up the Christmas tree sometime in November because I get so excited. I love everything about it from the music to the twinkling lights and beautifully wrapped presents. But as soon as those beautifully wrapped presents are ripped to shreds…I’m over it. Pack it up, I’m done.

Sconces

I get this from my mom and she got it from hers. My childhood friends jokingly called my mom “psycho cleaner” and didn’t like sleeping over at my house because my mom would be vacuuming by 8 am. She would dance and turn up the music and just clean. Sure, she has had her moments, but I think overall she secretly enjoys cleaning. Because I (kinda) do.

I like cleaning and organizing. I like things pretty. Ambiance is huge for me because it affects my mood. Just before Christmas, I cleaned and organized all our closets. Am I the only one with 6 bottles of shampoo in the linen closet that has 2 inches of soap left in it? WHY DO I SAVE THAT??! So I toss it all. Wipe down the shelves. Donate linens. My brother in law just bought his first house, so I have an excuse. He needs stuff (not empty shampoo bottles). Lol But hand towels, lamps, throw pillows, furniture. You know, all the things a 23-year-old male cares about.

So after Christmas is the perfect time to clean and organize in preparation for the new year. A few days before Christmas, I go through my daughter’s old toys to donate. This year, she even helped us. We explain that they are going to other kids so they can love her toys as much as she did. I mean, she’s 3 and was adamant about not having “baby” toys anymore. “Ew, this is for a BABY!!!” (Except, she loved it in August). ?

So why do I take it down on Christmas Day? Well, because we start to anticipate Christmas right after Halloween. It’s shoved in our face in stores, commercials, music and a popular topic amongst conversations. Kids’ school parties, company holiday parties, family Christmas events…the damn elf.  It’s too much, I’ve had enough. DONE. Well, until November of next year. LOL

Chairs

On Christmas morning, I’m beyond excited for my 3-year-old to open her presents. Seriously, I’m not a Scrooge, I couldn’t wait to see her face as she opened her gifts! This year we decided that Santa wanted to make our lives easier and so he put the Christmas presents under the tree upstairs which is conveniently located next to her playroom. No dragging toys upstairs! Here’s a picture of our upstairs living room in all its glory on Christmas Eve:

So on Christmas morning, I snuck out of bed early, turned on all the twinkling tree lights, told Alexa to play Christmas music, made the coffee and brought up trash bags and scissors. I.was.ready.

After the wrapping paper was out of the way, we opened the packages the toys are in. We wrestled dolls, Barbie’s and just about anything out of the boxes.  Then we played with them all day. And I mean, this started at 7 am, so it was all day long. We ate, played, napped, played…

When we had our daughter, my husband and I agreed that on Christmas Day we stay home. It’s not set in stone, but we don’t want any obligations. Our family is definitely welcome to our house, but we like to be home. Stay in our pj’s all day with no real intention or plan (except to take the trees down). These are real photos of them actually napping, but even I think they look staged. I’m not a pretty sleeper like they are. Not even close. I’d prove it, but no one was awake to take mine. LOL

At 7 pm I told my daughter that her elf, Frank will be heading back to the North Pole that night and it’s time for mommy to put away the Christmas stuff until next year. She was ok with it and more concerned with her toys than decorations.

And so I dragged out the plastic bins and took it all down. Christmas Day. Why? Well, I’m over it. Over the glitter, the cluttered mantle, the red and green. I want organization and normalcy. I can’t just lay on the couch watching a movie because all I’d think about is how “I need to take down the trees”. Same reason I can’t watch TV if there are dishes in my sink.

I have 2 full weeks of vacation before heading back to work and I like to get organized. Declutter. I definitely don’t want to do it the day before I return to the office. In my mind, taking down Christmas decorations just hovers as a “to do” and I want to just knock it out and be done with it.

Island Pendants

My husband and daughter did lay on the couch watching a Christmas movie as I packed it away. I prefer it this way so I know where it’s all going and I can wrap the delicate ornaments. My husband physically takes the trees down and stuffs them in the box for me and I slide them in the back of a long, narrow hall closet that opens to a larger space in the back. That area is stacked with the bins of Christmas decor. By 9 pm, I was finished. Rooms suddenly looked oddly bare in comparison but I’m happy. We put our exhausted daughter to bed and then I curled on the couch watching a non-Christmas movie (Bird Box) with my husband.

Now I’m ready to tackle the garage.