Pieces of Christmas

All the decorations are packed away. The carpets have been vacuumed, and the furniture is dusted. The house should be back to 'normal’, whatever that is.

But, sure as shootin', during the next month or so, I'll run across something left over from the holidays.

It happened this morning. I looked out the back door, and there was a holiday doormat.

One year, an angel I used to hang from the entry hall light managed to stay there until the following year. I hadn't noticed it for several months, and when I finally did, I decided to just leave it. Unfortunately, a couple of years later, it broke when I took it down, and I questioned the wisdom of removing it at all.

When it comes to angels, however, you'll find them all over our house at all times. I've collected them since I was in fourth grade when my teacher gave me a small ceramic angel in the form of a bell. That one went through a fire in our attic, broke, and was glued back together. I still hang it on our tree every year, and it's the oldest ornament we have.

However, few of the rooms in my home are angel-free zones. We call one of my guest rooms the 'angel room.' Angel figurines not only occupy most of the flat spaces, but much of the wall space as well. And you'll find them in place all year long.

No matter now thoroughly I think I've checked for seasonal decorations in January, a few of them creep in during the following month. How and where they hide out, I have no idea. But they do.

I actually don't mind stumbling across these little reminders of the holidays. They make me smile as I remember happy times. Even though I then have to find a place to store them, I still enjoy coming across them.

I occasionally wonder if perhaps I subconsciously leave a few out just so I'll run across them later on in the year.

 

Am I the only one who consistently fails to pack away decorations after the holidays? Or do other people do this as well?