The holidays are over. How do you feel about that?
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When the doorbell rings for our tree-trimming party every year, we turn up the volume on Handel’s Messiah, ladle out hot mulled cider, and put our guests to work hanging the ornaments.
I’m the only one invited to the untrimming party. Soon Joni Mitchell’s Blue is blasting from the speakers as I bring up boxes from the garage and get to work dismantling Christmas.
But I’m not blue at all. I love taking apart the wooden train set and stowing away the brightly painted nutcrackers. I scrape melted wax from the mantel and toss withered cedar boughs into the fireplace. Scummy vases once overflowing with holly and white orchids get a good scrubbing.
Then I untrim the tree, from hand-blown glass balls to hand-crafted macaroni angels. It’s like unearthing a time capsule. Here is the rocking horse era, followed by the rise of the snowmen. Family pets are honored by an abundance of dog and cat angels. Crazily misshapen Santas record the preschool years, while “Baby’s First Christmas” ornaments round out the collection.
My favorite part is tossing the denuded tree off the balcony. Such a satisfying crash! Pine needles blanket the asphalt below, but I don’t sweep them up; the wind and rain will take care of the mess. 
This act of purposeful sloth thrills me as much as tearing out spent petunias from the garden at the end of the summer. Annuals and Christmas trees are supposed to wither and die, then get tossed. Unlike the perpetual nurturing demanded by children, pets,and perennials, limited care for ephemeral glory is the only requirement.
After all, it’s the dismantling that brings about the restored order and hope of the new year.
Great perspective on the end of Xmas. I usually wax nostalgic when I’m putting up the ornaments, but your tree trimming party sounds fun. Always wish the kids would he’ll decorate but by the time we go to the tree farm, discuss/debate which tree to get, chop it down, stop for lunch, drive home and set it up they wimp out on me!
Thanks, Heidi–I know well those kids who wimp out on me. Parties help, but there’s still the broken promises of helping me prepare the food! Better now that they’re in their 20s.
Your young adult children are better than mine. At 18 and 23 mine still won’t do it, but are create funb anyway!
I too love the untrimming and the return to the order and hope of the new year. Usually I do it solo but this year my teen and tween helped and somehow it dissolved into a mom mocking session which led to many laughs. It was the most fun untrimming I’ve ever had.
Thanks, Sue–I love those mom-mocking sessions! As long as they’re engaged, right?
I like this piece very much, especially the last paraagraph (we throw our tree out the second story window, also onto the driveway and the last )sentence which pulls it all together–really I love the thought in the last sentence!
Thanks, Eloise. We do have to make room for the new, don’t we?
I love tossing our tree off the balcony too!
Yes, isn’t it satisfying? I had no idea how common this practice is.