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Cleaning Up After Christmas
The twelve drummers are drumming our way out of the Christmas season. Tomorrow is Epiphany and it’s time to pack up whatever hasn’t already been put away for the season.
Cleanliness
Cleanliness. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
~Benjamin Franklin
The funny thing is that back in Colonial times, people tolerated a lot of conditions that we’d consider downright grungy and called it clean. Even so, it was a lot more pristine over here than it was in Europe. We had broad, well-lit boulevards while the Old Countries had dark, crowded alleys where people tossed their chamber pots into the gutters. Quite nasty.
Even so, this final Virtue of Christmas is one worth taking to heart. There’s a lot to be said for maintaining a personal regimen of cleanliness in body, clothes and habitation. There are comforts, both physical and emotional, to be found in keeping yourself and your surroundings clean.
Pack It In
Cleaning up starts with you. Maintaining a positive attitude from the get-go helps the work go more smoothly. Get the kids involved to keep the mood light and the work will get done in the blink of an eye.
The next step to keep things orderly is to have a plan in mind. Take an inventory of all the things that still need to be put away and group them for efficient processing.
Another thing to consider is if you have a particular order in which you put things out at the beginning of next year’s Christmas decorating. Put the last items to go up away first so that they’ll be at the bottom of the stack. The last items you put away will be in the front and ready to go for the beginning of your holiday decorating next time.
Shedding excess pounds is a very common New Year’s Resolution, but another way to lose excess weight is to identify things you no longer need and donate them to your local charities. Goodwill, Salvation Army and other charitable thrift stores will benefit from your donation and you will benefit from the lack of clutter.
Take a moment at the end of your cleaning up to be grateful for another blessed holiday season. All of the good feelings, good food and family fun that you had this holiday season are a lot to be grateful for. Take the spirit of Thanksliving that we started off with on Thanksgiving Day and bring it with you into this brand new year. Fill the open space that you’ve created by putting your Christmas decor away with the rich feelings of gratitude and love that the holiday season fosters. Let’s enjoy Christmas All The Time.
Twelve Drummers Drumming
The fat lady may be singing figuratively, but the twelve drummers are drumming literally. Let’s watch the Top Secret Drum Corps march us right out of the Christmas season.