My Least Favorite Day of the Year

January 1st is my least favorite day of the year - coincidentally, it is probably Lee's favorite day.  It is the day the holiday hangover really hits the hardest, because we take down our Christmas tree and un-decorate the house.  I love having the tree up so much that I get really depressed when we take it down.  I also try to figure out ways to put it off - but generally, January 1st is the day (even last year, when we were in New Hampshire for the bulk of the day, Lee made us take it down that night).  Taking down the tree reminds me that the holidays are eleven long months away and that a long, cold winter stretches out before us, with not much to look forward to.  The one good thing about un-decorating is that the house suddenly seems so much bigger - and we can actually figure out places to put some of the things the girls got for Christmas!

Apparently, Elizabeth and Emily were as distressed as I was about taking down the tree.

 

Here is Emily saying "goodbye" before going down for a nap - she was quite upset when she woke up and everything having to do with the holidays had completely vanished.

 

Yes.  This is exactly what it looks like.  Lee is holding up Elizabeth so that she can reach the angel....

Due to the size of our tree, it cannot make it out of the house in one piece.  Lee has to cut off most of the branches.

Elizabeth was truly upset.

It is almost small enough to make it out the door.

Gone!

After about twenty minutes with the ShopVac, I had to take a rest....

And a mere two hours after we started, the sun room was back to normal.