>Reclaiming the den

>”Can we take the tree down tonight?”
“Absolutely not on my agenda.”
“But the Maids are coming tomorrow!”

Let me be clear. I am not wealthy. The Maids are on the order of a cleaning service, a group of people who come in once every four weeks to do the main cleaning chores in our home. I have the utmost respect for them (and tip them every single time) because I really detest cleaning. They clean the floors, the toilets, the bathtubs, and the sinks – all the dirty and grimy places I can’t stand. The Maids will be the last item I cut as we adjust our family budget for the tightening economy.

But I digress. I really started this post thinking about the den, the mantel full of Christmas decorations, and the rapidly-drying Christmas tree. I like to have the tree down before the Maids’ visit because they vacuum and dust, and that’s exactly what I need done after the holiday decor goes back in the basement. This year the post-Santa cleaning visit arrived closer to Christmas than usual, so we weren’t ready to deal with the tree.

So here it is, already the second week in January. I’m back to school, Husband is luckily (according to him) not working any play-off games, but Amigo is gearing up for final exams and I’m busily gathering data for Semester I report cards. Who will take the tree down, and when will it finally happen?

Most years we get the tree down and the knick-knacks stored within a few days of the New Year. The Maids sweep and vacuum any needles we’ve missed and leave the place looking Christmas-free. This year, I’m going to end up doing it all myself because no one, but no one else is interested in helping out.

No help? I’ll be like the little Red Hen. See if I bake any cookies for the lazy family this weekend. Not if I have to do it all. by. myself.

Parent Bloggers Network is looking for more stories about the holiday clean-up. If you’d like to post on the topic and link to them, go to their main blog. SCJohnson’s new website also gives cleaning advice… for the dreaded day that I stop the cleaning service!

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5 thoughts on “>Reclaiming the den

  1. >Oh that sounds so lovely…if I worked FT I’d insist on a cleaning service. But I don’t, so that is my job (among others) and I spent most of the day Tuesday putting Christmas away. It is such a chore.

  2. >Every time I inquire to my wife when we will take down the tree she doesn’t sound very happy about the idea. Hopefully tonight we can at least take down the decorations and sweep up some of the needles for future stuffing into a pine pillow.

  3. >I so glad I took my tree down on Jan 2. this year. Usually I procrastinate, but I just couldn’t stand the mess anymore! And that’s saying something cause I can stand a lot of mess. 😉

  4. >Long live the Maids! About two years ago I had to make some budget adjustments and it came down to continuing to go to the hair stylist I have been going to for 11 years (and who has raised his rates over those years) … or … my housecleaner.

    Guess who won? You know, Great Clips does a really good job if you get the right person.

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