There’s a sort of melancholy that sets in while packing up the Christmas things. A longing to hold on to the excitement and expectation of the past season lingers as the lights are taken down and the nativity boxed up.

And yet, I always feel a wonderful calm when, in the wake of greens and lights and baubles of Christmases past, I find the blank slate of a new year.

January has a starkness that sparks my imagination every year. It leads me towards new projects and new ideas. I find myself moving furniture and questioning ideas. I start to see the possibilities of the coming year.

And so, in the process of packing and storing away, I move on from melancholy to a peaceful anticipation of what is to come.

{Family portrait, original drawing by our friend Allison, Live Simply print by Katie Daisy, gifted by the sweet Jennifer. Home Sweet Home, and the hanging shells, original works by Catherine.}