Ornaments bring back fond memories

It is finally time to put away the Christmas decorations. As I remove the ornaments, I will think of the loved ones who made them.
My husband made some of them. I made others. There are crocheted ones made by my mother. There are painted ones from my daughter. There are carved ones made by friends. There is a tiny snow globe bought by my late mother-in-law that is not hand-made but evokes fond memories just the same. They will all find a vacation home in a big plastic box where they can hibernate until next Christmas.
I am always amazed at how many ornaments there are. I didn’t even put them all out this year because I ran out of energy before I ran out of ornaments.
In addition to undecorating the tree, I will put away all the Santas and reindeer that are on display. The nativity will be stored in boxes, safe from the murderous atheist cat, Gracie, that lives with us. I did glue the shepherd back together but he is visibly and permanently injured. Gracie tried to sweep him off the table again, but we saved the figurine from more harm.
Once all the decorations are safely stowed, I can turn my attention to other things. I have most of the hyacinth bulbs in their glasses and tucked into the refrigerator for a bit of artificial winter. They need this cool down period in order to bloom properly.
I ran out of hyacinth glasses and had to pot up the last three bulbs. Luckily I never throw away a flower pot. Even better, the potting soil stored outside under the swing hadn’t frozen yet. That made it easier to scoop out enough soil for the bulbs to be happy. I have had to thaw out frozen soil before and it isn’t an easy thing to do.
In a month or so I will begin removing the hyacinths from the refrigerator so that they can grow and bloom. Once they begin to flower they will fill the house with the scent and promise of spring. The anticipation is a vital part of the process.
I need to get to the post office and mail my granddaughter’s birthday present. It is hard to believe that she is 10 already. It seems like yesterday that I first met her, mere hours after her birth. She is growing up to be the kind of girl anybody would be proud to call their own.
We have gone down to Texas for her birthday in years past. Thankfully we went down for Thanksgiving last year instead. With all the rain and flooding along the Mississippi this month, I would hate to get stuck on the way home.
The new year will bring new challenges and new opportunities, as it always does. We will visit the grandchildren after the weather warms and the threat of flooding is just a memory. We will make even more ornaments for the Christmas tree.
It is time to put the last year away. It is time to sweep away all the good and bad and begin anew. To that end, I hope to begin the spring cleaning this week. Note, I didn’t say I would, just that I hope to. If there is anything I’ve learned, it is that plans get derailed more often than not.
But first, I have a present to mail, a tree to undecorate and the remaining hyacinths to put in the refrigerator. The shepherd from the nativity is begging to be put in his box before Gracie gets him. As always, there is so much that needs to be done. I think I’ll begin by undecorating the tree.