un-decorating....

... the season. I reported that it took me about 45 seconds to install my holiday décor: Hang wreath. Sadly it required much more time to take it all apart: probably a minute and a half. I took the wreath down, unplugged it from the outlet, last Thursday when the kitchen floor got mopped. And returned it to the shelf in the storage room where it lives for eleven months of the year.  Where upon it fell off twice, and landed on my head once.  And put the six little Wisemen and the two Santas back in the box where they reside, in pretty close quarters. It is not back up on the closet shelf yet but I will get that done today. So maybe two minutes, maximum. Goodbye, till next December

Some things I heard from my mother, maybe 'urban myths' that were so intimidating as a child, those tales likely struck fear in my heart. I don't remember any mention of dire consequences, other than the potential for vaguely ominous bad luck. Sort of dark, threatening clouds off in the distance for some of those legends passed down over the generations.  As children absorb and interpret, squirrel away in their minds, many things in ways adults can laugh off, completely ignore. 

These are some of the No-nos from growing up in south Georgia: You cannot leave your Christmas tree up until Jan. 1. I don't recall if this rule applies to all holiday decorating, but think it is probably specific to the tree. (Not a problem Here: I have not put one up in years! And don't think I even have any ornaments to put, if I did have a tree to put them on!) There are lots of families that leave lights and decorations up through Jan. 6. So I think this ban only applies to the tree. Wondering now if it was back in the era of fresh/cut trees that would get as dry as tinder from being inside for days and weeks, becoming a fire hazard. Especially in the time before electricity was commonly used to light the strings of colored bulbs on the tree: when the tree was actually lit for only one night, using wax candles.

You are not allowed to do any laundry on January 1. You should also not plan on doing any house cleaning, which goes back to the previous paragraph: get it done before the new year dawns, I guess.  You don't start any projects: the one I specifically recall is sewing. Never start any sort of sewing, meaning don't cut the fabric out, or start assembling any article of clothing on the first day of the new year. I think the threat I heard from the elders was greatly influenced by the fact that everything I wore for the first years of my life was handmade.

You can imagine what a chore clothing a family would be when every single garment had to be cut from whole cloth and put together by hand. Those 'newfangled' inventions, sewing machines would ease the task somewhat - but still, the challenge would be unremitting. Especially with children growing and outgrowing faster than you could cut and assemble.  Who wants to be doomed to that fate for the next 365 days? Chained to the machine???

I did cook, I did eat my black-eye peas, and I am optimistic about the New Year. There is probably a rule about cooking that comes under the one about cleaning, but I was  not sufficiently organized to cook the peas on the 31st. I would like to think that the positive value/good luck that accompanies the peas will outweigh the risk.  And unwilling to leave a stack of dirty pots and dishes in the sink overnight, so had to clean before bed. Still hoping for the best in 2015....