I know how cliched this sounds...new year, new start! New year, new you! But there is something about January 1 that keeps me forever hopeful about the upcoming year.
When I was a child, my mother would begin to quietly put away a few decorations the day after Christmas. Our "big" take down day was January 1...she wanted to begin the new year with a clean house, which often meant moving a few pieces of furniture around, or putting pictures in different spots. As I grew older and moved out of the house, she would often have everything down and put away by December 27th because she hated the clutter. I always felt sad when I saw all our Christmas paraphenalia disappear, but ironically, I am now the one who can't wait for all the Christmas decorations to be safely in their boxes again.
I don't have the same love for Christmas that I once had. It's lost its magic for me. In fact, I often feel like I'm simply going through the motions as we move through the holiday season. I enjoy our decorations...snow people, holy family, sentimental ornaments, but it seems like such a hassle to put them out and then put them away...within a six week period. While Christmas would feel odd without the decor, I find it a relief when it's all cleaned up.
Adhering to the January 1 rule, though, seems to be in my blood. It's how I was raised, and it's often difficult to break one's training. My husband would rather leave up the decor through Epiphany, but most years, I'm back in school by that weekend and consumed with all that is school. January 1 allows us a chance to enjoy our cleaned up home for a couple of days before I report back to school.
Today was no different; our New Years' day was spent sorting, boxing, wrapping, storing, and cleaning. I'm incredibly relieved! My house is clean and reorganized. I can breathe for the rest of the week; I might even attempt relaxing! I don't have to live in clutter and pine needles anymore. I feel clean; ready for a new year. My husband is a terrific sport, pitching in and doing the heavy lifting or cleaning the places I cannot reach. I'm sure he'd rather spend his day doing something else, but for me, well, that's what the first day of the new year is about...cleaning the cobwebs from the previous year.
And ultimately, isn't that what the first two weeks of January are about? Isn't that why we make resolutions? We want to be better people, live better, exercise more, be happy. Granted, we often break our resolutions before the end of the month, but we take the initiative, we resolve, we reorganize, we are new...at least for a short time.
My living room has a fresh start. I have a fresh start. And we have a fresh new year.
