The Saddest Day of the Year

I love Christmas. I love it without shame. I love the music, the movies, the decorations, the cookies. 

I put up my Christmas tree on November 1 every year. Why? 

1. I'm an adult and I can do what I want.
2. I want to enjoy every possible moment of Christmas joy. 
3. If I wait longer than that, it feels like a waste. 

And every year, the inevitable rolls around: I have to take all the decorations down. The pretty vase of Christmas ornaments in my window, the sparkly bucket of candy canes, the carefully arranged ornaments. 

The saddest day of the year is always the Sunday after New Years. That's my designated "take it down" day. I undo all my hard work from November and shove it all in a box. I then lug everything upstairs and close it into a room for another 10 months.

There is a part of me that always thinks, "why not just leave it up if you like it so much?" I mean, really, if I'm an adult and I can do what I want, I can just leave my Christmas tree up all year. Right? 

Wrong!

As much as I love Christmas, I fully recognize that there are months where the presence of a Christmas tree would be too much. Overkill. Plus, year-round Christmas dilutes the spirit of November and December. It wouldn't be special if I had a tree all year.

So, for now, my fair isle tree skirt and candy canes are safely packed away, waiting for another November to roll around. I'll be ready.