When I was little, my mother used to insist on hauling us down to the (freezing cold) seaside on the first day of the New Year. "It's good to blow away the cobwebs" she'd call above the fierce north wind "a fresh start for the year to come".....
Well, I'm not sure that my children would jump for joy if I suggested the same activity, but something of her attitude has stayed with me and this is definitely the moment in the year when I start feeling the need to sort out and put away. Clear my desk, shelves, wardrobe and start the new year with good, if slightly unrealistic, intentions of order and tidiness. After the clutter of opening Christmas presents and the house packed with guests, I long for lightness, pale colours and simple lines.
Well, I'm not sure that my children would jump for joy if I suggested the same activity, but something of her attitude has stayed with me and this is definitely the moment in the year when I start feeling the need to sort out and put away. Clear my desk, shelves, wardrobe and start the new year with good, if slightly unrealistic, intentions of order and tidiness. After the clutter of opening Christmas presents and the house packed with guests, I long for lightness, pale colours and simple lines.
I won't be packing up Christmas for another week or so but in the meantime these pictures are doing me good!
all pictures thanks to Decorative Country Living
Posts
Blowing away the cobwebs sounds like a great tradition and you're right, there is something nice about starting the year with a clean slate.
ReplyDeleteDearest, I follow your blog for some time but I've never written for a number of difficulties with the language! However you are very strong and I have copied many of your ideas for christmas! Now I will try to improve my English to tell you again how special you are!
ReplyDeleteLorenza
Hallo Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI will clear my house from christmas decoration next week.
Yes I like the pale colours after red, gold and silver!
I just changed the colour of my blog!
Salut!
*Tasiaa
If only my mother had taken us to the seashore, she just did one of those whole house cleanings that made the rest of the family hide.
ReplyDeleteOf course, for me, after Christmas is over, I want everything back in it's place, the big dead tree out of the room, no more decorations, clean shiny surfaces and no clutter.
I completely understand the wish for pale colors.
It is summer here and we are having a heat wave, Christmas decorations look ludicrous to me, today they are all going to be put away.
I will do something with white .. lots of white :)
my day is planned doing just this!!!!
ReplyDeletecan you my the cobwebs in the air?
'Cobwebs' interesting concept. . .I tend to hang on to Christmas for awhile! It was so much work putting it all together and then seems to vanish in a blink of the eye!
ReplyDeleteBut I will be ready for a fresh canvas soon to usher in the New Year!
Wishing you a very Happy New Year. . .
Sue
White is so appealing right after Christmas. A big bunch of glorious white roses does the trick for me.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful photos with a beautiful thought...blowing the cobwebs away. We are five minutes into winter and I am pining for spring and to get into my gardens. Since this is not possible, I am planning to paint my bedroom. After struggling over colors, I believe white is the answer...pure, clean, precise. It will be like sleeping in a cloud and a wonderful way to begin each morning blowing off the cobwebs. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteGot lots of cobwebs at our house - lol! And so looking forward to blowing them away along with 2010. I love the photos - they make me happy but longing for Spring now! =)
ReplyDeleteJeanine
I totally agree - I'm all about making resolutions and thinking about what I want to accomplish or get organized during the year to come. I usually write them down and even accomplish some of them - I'm one of those types.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your Christmas plans turned out well and you got to enjoy it with your brother and family.
Oh, I don't even want to think of the cobwebs! But a nice walk on the beach sounds refreshing!
ReplyDeleteXO
Jane
My mother used to encourage us to get outside and "blow out the cobwebs" as well. I also encourage my children to go out too. If I could only hop off the computer i will do some tidying and reorganising as well.
ReplyDeleteI share your passion for the simplicity of the month of January. It is one of my favorite months. Packing up all the beautiful Christmas decorations, and enjoying less of everything. Love it.
ReplyDeleteFondly,
Glenda
Usually I love to leave up all the trimmings until New Year's Eve when I want something new and shiny on the table and the clutter cleared away. This year - for a reason that is still a secret - we need to clean up early, so I de-decorated yesterday and today started cleaning surfaces and putting lots of things away.
ReplyDeleteSuddenly my home seems so much larger!
Now it's time to clean out the office - both home and work - to start a new productive year. Somehow it just seems right. I love the idea of cleaning out the cobwebs - shall make that my motto!
Oh, I know I need to be doing this!! But give me just one more week, okay?? I've been so busy these past few weeks, to sit in front of the still glowing tree, with a mug of hot tea in one hand and a wonderful book in the other.... is just way too tempting to think about anything else just now! Perhaps next week?
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of "blowing away the cobwebs". I'm trying to do a bit of that around my office this week. Need to go through the stacks and clear things out!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year! ~ Sarah
Oh Sharon
ReplyDeleteYou mum's sentiment and excursions remind me of my mum... she would pack us up in the car and take us to the mountains when we all had the lurgy!! hehe... I may have to make sure I am down the beach this New Year's day.. although it will be 33c.. so now cold winds here..
I hope your new year is fabulous and glad your brother was able to make it there for Christmas... Stay well.. and best wishes for the coming year!! xxx Julie
PS.. love these images..
Sharon,
ReplyDeleteI think your mother had the right idea. A visit to the beach (sea) would be such a wonderful way to start a new year. The sand, sun, and salty air (even if cold) have such a way of making me feel that all things are right with the world. I guess I'd never thought of it as "cleaning the cobwebs out," but that is a perfect way to explain what it does for me.
Like you, I do get a bit of a cleaning / organizing feeling this time of year, but I just grab a few magazines, some hot cocoa, and wait for the feeling to pass.
Happy New Year! Rita
Happy New Year Sharon: I have so enjoyed your blogsite and getting to know you. Love your posts and find them so inspiring.....it really brings me back to a place I love so much.
ReplyDeleteLeaving early in the morning for a flight to Philadelphia to be with family. When I return, I have piles to go through and so much to get rid of...............a time for purging!!! Started to put a few things away, but I just couldnt' put away all of my little lit trees in each room. I will do that when I get home.
My best always Sharon,
Mary Anne
Good ideas, as always. I am cleaning up and cleaning out, too. Happy New Year! Jenny
ReplyDeleteI love your Mom's New Year's Day activity... I think it's so symbolic or the freshness and new beginning to the new year!!!
ReplyDeleteI also feel like you about starting off with the lightness of less is more. At first I feel shocked over how plain the house looks without all it's Christmas finery but then I completely embrace it. I've already started a new eating plan... I couldn't pig out anymore so I got a jump start, at least on that part :)
Love you,
Terri