Is anyone else glad it's over?

We took DS back to Cambridge today, it seemed odd somehow that all the decorations were still up in the town and in people's houses. I have no idea why it seemed odd, I think that mentally I had moved on and thought everyone else should have as well!

dollie I have pm'd you x I too was very glad Xmas is over, lunch for one as usual lol. I can remember when I used to have a houseful of guests and kids, it's so weird being alone.

Waitrose was odd this afternoon. Great empty spaces on the shelves. No red onions. Everyone bumping into each other.

So don't think we are back to normal yet.

How can it get mucky in the time the tree is up the place was thick of dust once it was clear.

Glad its all over, the fights, the effort of trying to be nice and being cheerful. Now I can be nasty and normal lol

And....the family (all 9 of them) have just gone leaving me with a house that looks like a tornado has ripped through it, 8 lots of bedding, 9 towels and HUGE quantities of rubbish: wrapping paper, nappies, cardboard toy boxes, food leftovers.

But the memories are good.......

Time for a little reward Tomorrow I'll start the clear up and put away the Christmas decorations. Off to put on another load of washing.

Ours will come down at the weekend, cards have already gone from the dining room but are still all over the place elsewhere. I too leave all the candles around until it is lighter in the evenings, I light them just before dusk.

I would be perfectly happy with just a tree and candles, but DBH puts up huge garlands either side of a big beam and puts just as many decorations on them each as we have on the tree, to me they just make the room look darker but he loves them, so I let him get on with it. Over the past couple of years I have quietly passed many other xmassy decorations to my daughter, free-standing things, but in return I get given all sorts of strange ornaments made by the little GCs. I now have to have a sort of Crafts Corner of strange objects made from plaster of paris, then painted and adorned with glitter and tinsel and sparkly pipecleaners. When they have made enough, one year I shall spurn all DBH's tasteful baubles and decorate the tree with them all.

Tree down this morning. Cards and a few other unobtrusive decorations will stay until 6th January.

Tree is down and all decorations packed away. Just left the cards up for a few more days, they don't interfere with dusting (whatever that is) as they are all blu-tacked to the big glass doors in the conservatory. I'll just keep a few candles out as I love the candles in the evenings

Ours will all be coming down on Thursday as we go away to France for a 4 days on Friday. Hopefully we will also get the trees to the tip and most of the decorations packed away again into their boxes so that we return to a clean and tidy house and just need to get the boxes back into the loft for Christmas to be completely over for another 50 weeks.

Mine are coming down today but I always leave one dec up till the 6th as a nod to twelfth night.

I've taken the cards down. They interfered with my decorations placements. That's bad is n't it?

Don't mention the post Xmas dusting!!!

Stuck the wandering Christmas card back up again....(don't know why Daisy likes that one in particular ) and have decided I'm not chancing my luck by taking everything down before the 6th (not that there's that much - just a few 'ho-ho-ho's' and a little tree, a glittery old Santa and all the cards). A few more days won't hurt - and it'll save on the dusting.

I'm still enjoying the tree and decorations, though the house is quiet as Mr Iam is in the south visiting his mum, and all the children have now left home. Our grandchildren are old enough to be left at home when parents go out, so we don't have them staying over the holiday period, as we used to. I'm adjusting to a slower pace of life, and enjoying it. I imagine I'll take the decorations and tree down at the weekend, though like others, superstition may mean they stay up til 12th night.

Leaving ours til niece sun 5th got friends. Coming sat and hate taking tree down love the cheerful lights.

The little boys (with whom I am watching "Ben and Holly"!) and their parents are heading home today, and then I shall put Christmas away, with a slight sense of relief!

Up to my retirement, school started on January 2nd, so getting ready started about now. Oh, I am SO glad not to have to begin the Jamuary commute (or any commute, come to that!)

I usually, if at home clear, everything away on the 12th night and feel a huge sense of relief and space but I am in the happy position of not having any Christmassy things to put away this year. DD has just about had it and the droopy tree is coming down tomorrow, SiL has disposed of the Christmas cards, including the one I had just that minute opened , the blow up Santa and reindeer on the deck has been deflated (hopefully for ever) So now we are preparing for tonight; the sun is blazing, the house is full of sand, including my bed where senior DGD had left her beach towel, junior DGS has been grounded for misbehaviour and rudeness, the 17 month old is screaming (what's new) and the senior DGS is glued to his iPlayer so all is well with the world. I will, no doubt, return home in February and find a pile of Christmas cards awaiting me.
Happy New Year to you all from a sizzling Sydney!

Ours are always up till Jan 6th, I hate taking them down, it`s the only time our room looks bright!

Mine are coming down on New Year's Day. Can't wait but I find putting them away such a chore.

I meant !

jingl, I'm trying to make them last till the 6th, but the cat's had different ideas.....[chgrin]!

It will be fine marelli, I am sick of the mess now, how can two DGC have so many presents, I need to tidy it all away

Mine's staying up until the 6th. So there!

I'm a bit superstitious....but I think I'll chance it and get 'em down tomorrow !