No, No Noel!

Christmas has come and gone and the presents have been opened.  Little Sweet Pea was SO excited about the Christmas tree when we put it up and then the subsequent presents that she practically camped under the tree.

Each day she has insisted that we turn on the lights (usually from mid-morning on) and I often have observed her heading over to the tree to look at the ornaments.  Many times she has "redistributed" them more to her liking.  Today she was playing with a stuffed kitten and she was cradling it in her arms saying, "Don't be sad, kitty.  Mika take you to look at the Christmas tree."  Off she'd go with the kitten and they'd stand in front of the tree.

That's why we waited until she had gone to bed before we started the sad job of packing away the decorations.

There is just a bittersweet feeling when it comes time to put the holiday decorations away yet again.  It seems to magnify the passing of time.  It also reminds me that the kids, including little Sweet Pea and Spud, will be heading back home to Texas tomorrow.

Off came the lights, the screws were loosened on the tree stand and then the Commander and son toted our tree out the door and to the curb while I grabbed the broom to sweep up the pine needles.  After they came inside and had been carrying the ornament boxes out to the porch, I noticed some marks on the floor.  Hmm, I figured the dog had maybe upchucked a bit in the past few days and so I went to grab some floor cleaner and paper towels.

No sooner was I bent over, spraying, and wiping then our son came inside holding one shoe and said, "Hey, Mom....I think I stepped in dog s___t when I took the tree out and I might have tracked it around inside the house.  Can I have a paper towel and I'll clean off my shoe in the kitchen?"

"Crap," I said.  "You get outside with that.  You're not cleaning it inside the house."

Yup, sometimes taking down the holiday decorations is just a sh__tty proposition whichever way you look at it.