I Leave My Christmas Decorations Up Until February
I Leave Our Christmas Decorations Up Until February on Purpose
I may not be the first to the holiday decorating party, but you better believe I'll be the last to leave it. While I'm not the mom that busts out every festive piece of garland and string of lights the day after Halloween — or even Thanksgiving for that matter — I am the one who leaves the decorations up the longest. And this year will be no different. Aside from the obvious fact that I'm lazy, I like letting our mistletoe hang longer than most people because, well, it keeps me in holiday spirit and helps me fight the Winter blues. So, I plan on leaving all of the decorations, even the (fake) tree, up until February.
Once I get my Santa Claus figurines out and the Christmas tree decorated, I'm filled with holiday cheer. I blast the Christmas music in both the house and car, make hot chocolate regularly, and even throw away most of my screen time rules in favour of classic Christmas movie marathons. I even let Elf on the Shelf take over our home. But once the big day and the big guy comes and goes, we're often left feeling deflated. We're tired from everything that the holiday season took out of us and we're a little depressed that it's all over.
Plus, we live in a state where Winter seems to last forever once Christmas is over, and it's relentless. The post-holiday blues get even worse when we have a solid three more months of freezing temperatures and being stuck inside. So, if leaving our holiday decorations up longer will help keep our spirits up, then I'm more than fine with that. Plus, it's always a fun conversation starter for anyone who comes over. "Umm, isn't it Valentine's Day?" they joke. "Yes," I'll respond, "but we still need holiday cheer inside when the outside is so miserable!"
There will be days when I look outside and see two feet of freshly fallen snow. We won't be able to leave the house because the roads simply aren't safe enough to drive on. But I'll be able to stare at the twinkle of the bulbs on the still-standing Christmas tree. I'll be able to see the remnants of the holiday scattered throughout our home, and it will keep me in a cosy mood for a little while longer. Well, at least until the snow starts to melt.
