The Second Day of 2023

 

With New Year's falling on a Sunday and today being a Federal holiday (although a friend of my son's had to go to school today which makes no sense...and it's NOT a private school), I'm not sure what day it is.   Can it be Monday?  I'm not working.  Why does it feel like Tuesday?  Actually why does it feel like a day in March or April with current temperatures here in NJ being 50?  It can't be March or April because when I went to CVS to pick a prescription, the Christmas candy was 50% off.  (Yes, I got sucked in...I'm not sure how I feel about the Kit Kat gingerbread flavor.  The strawberry and dark chocolate is definitely a win and I'm hoping to try birthday cake sometime this year, but I'm still on the fence about gingerbread.)

Yes, it is only the second day of the New Year.  A year that I HOPE will be much better than 2022. The holiday decorations still adorn the house (they will come down after epiphany).  Or do they?  The outdoor lights (which kept falling down due to the high winds we  had during much of December), the light up snowflakes and candy canes, the holiday flamingos (how I LOVE them) and the Merry Christmas sign have all been (reluctantly) tucked away for the year.

  I would have preferred NOT taking them down quite yet.  (Epiphany, remember?)  However, we are supposed to get soaking rains (when are rains NOT soaking?) over the next couple of days, after which the temperatures are supposed to drop.  (Back to where they really SHOULD be during this time of year. Thankfully not quite as cold as it was on Christmas Eve, when not a creature was stirring because it was just too darned cold to go anywhere.) And so to protect them and keep them in good (or relatively good) condition so that they can be put up again after Thanksgiving this year, my husband has taken them down and packed them away.

The rest of the house will stay in holiday mode for a little while more.  I will take the few holiday decorations that I put up at the shore down this weekend when I visit my dad.  Here they will come down on Sunday.  The ornaments off the tree and the trees (yes, this year there were two... a "normal" one and a small one that my mom had that was pre-lit, but the lights failed so painstakingly unwrapped the whole thing [which took over an hour and was really more trouble than it was worth and yet...) will be safely stored.  The Little Town of Bethlehem will be packed away.  (Although I may leave up the New England village...it's more of a winter scene so I can justify it.)  The wreath will come down off the front door and be replaced by something else.  (My snowman scene?  Or should I go shopping for something else?  The Main Street Cottage, my local gift shop had a really nice "Hello" sign which allowed you to swap out seasonal greetings.  I am ALL about having something for each season/holiday so you may find me down there later in the week.)  All the little decorations around the house will be stowed until it's time for them to come out again.

Taking it all down is a little sad, but it's a reminder that the days go on.  Though we needed the holiday lights, the days are getting lighter.  (It's a slow process I know.  Not unlike my darned knee/leg which IS better, but is not ready to go out on a warm winter's day walk.)  We continue to move forward into all the hope and joy that 2023 can bring.

(And NOW, you can bring out your Valentine's Day "stuff.")