A Weekend In The Country

You can see Andrea with a bauble in her hand. (I think it's time to think about refinishing the coffee table.)

Today is one of my least favorite days of the year. It's not always this precise date, but it's always somewhere around the end of the first week of January.

Un-decorating. I hate it.

While there are still needles on the tree, it's time to take off the lights, wrap up the ornaments, lug what's left outside and vacuum for as long as it takes to suck up the detritus where the festive symbol of the season once stood.

I plan on leaving the wreaths on the doors, maybe until the end of the month, but the remaining decorative touches around the house will be put to rest until December 2012.

C'est la vie. The holidays were wonderful and there's always next year -- or rather the end of this year.

One exceedingly effective remedy to chase away these -- albeit ephemeral -- blues I've found is: a fire in the fireplace and a coupe de champagne. I'm a huge believer in the medicinal benefits of champagne. I do not believe it should be opened exclusively for celebrations.

Au contraire.