Favorites From The Past
Posted by terrepruitt on December 29, 2012
I always forget about the last post of the year. I mean, I know that I am writing one because it is eventually going to happen, but I don’t think of it as being special. I know a couple of years my hubby has suggested a “blog review” or something and I know I have done that before. But to do that every year is tiring I think. I do love the Holidays and the decorations and I am sad when they have to come down. A lot of people have certain dates and/or days on which they take theirs down. I like to wait until after the first of January and then the exact day usually just depends on timing. When is my hubby going to be around to help me with all of the boxes? When we will have the most time? When do we really want it all to go away? If he is not going to be around when I want it done, then I just do it myself. So I am not stuck on any particular day. Sometimes it depends on the tree. In 2011 our tree had to come down because it was the worst tree we had ever had in terms of dry. We only turned the lights on it on two days and then I was too afraid to have that heat on it. I remember trying to shut the curtain so the sun wouldn’t shine on it and dry it out any more. I didn’t want the house heat on – afraid that would speed the decay. 
The day after Christmas I was “undecorating” it and I put it outside. That tree scared me. This year the tree is better. Much better. It will make it until New Year’s Day at least. It is also smaller than our trees we have had in the past so the disruption of furniture and traffic has not been so great so it is not that much of a bother. There is one decoration that I remember I left up for a long time after Christmas last year and that was our Christmas cards. When we receive a card I usually leave it on the counter for my husband to read, then it gets taped on the wall. By the end of the season we usually have a wall decorated with cards. I remember last year I didn’t take them down for weeks.
I also save some from year to year. Some of the cards we receive are so beautiful or so cute I just don’t want to throw them away. I consider them a Christmas decoration. I have one that has plastic jewels on it. Glitter ones almost always get saved. I have some that are actually pictures. Now I am not talking about the picture postcard cards. Those always get saved. I keep those and when the Christmas boxes come down I look through them. It is fun to see how families grow and age. But I some friends who are professional photographers, they take pictures for their Christmas cards, I save those. 
Frilly ones and puffy ones, usually get saved, as do blue ones and ones with sparkles. Homemade ones also get put on the wall year after year. I keep the ones from years past on a separate wall because for some reason people used to walk in and say, “You got all those cards!?!?” And I would explain that this wall — pointing to the current card wall — was different from that wall — pointing to the years past wall.
I write the date on the card and put it in the box with the decorations and voila I have a jeweled or glittery or sparkly or fuzzy or puffy or frilly or homemade decoration for next year. (Sometimes the card might be glittery AND sparkly AND fuzzy AND frilly and homemade . . . ahhhhh!) I am sure that eventually I will have to throw some of them away. A few are looking a little worn and might be on their last year of decorating, but at least I have enjoyed it for more than just one season. And you might be familiar with my Christmas decoration scheme/theme and that is to SEE “Christmas” wherever you look so this gives me a few extra “decorations” that don’t take up a lot of room to store. They are very pretty.
Plus it is fun to read some of the notes and comments from years past. I have already picked out at least 5 that we received this year that are going to go on the wall next year.
What do you think? You have to admit that you receive at least one card a season that is too pretty to just throw away? Right?
Well, Happy New Year. Make it a great one!
Terre Pruitt's Blog 
Angelia Sims said
I can’t throw the pretty ones out either. I like to see them year after year. Especially the photo ones. I’ll have to send you one next year. Maybe I’ll make your keep list. 🙂 And I remember that awful tree. Glad this year’s is better.
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terrepruitt said
I keep photo ones. And I am glad to hear others can’t throw pretty Christmas cards away, too! And, of course, you remember our DRY tree because it was so bad and I made such a big deal about it because it scared me. I thought our house would burn down! And you put up multiple trees, right?
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Angelia Sims said
Normally we do, but this year we only put up one tree. I think we used ALLLLL the ornaments though. LOL.
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terrepruitt said
Nice. Our tree was not big enough for all of the ornaments. I want a big tree!
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