Today we waved ‘adieu’ to the Christmas tree and all things Christmassy; the tinsel was tucked away for another year, and the cards stacked in the memory box.   The kids looked so sad watching their Yuletide cheer disappear; so sad I was tempted to introduce a Christmas tree ‘grace period’, but I realised I had to stand firm.  No point in breaking with tradition now, and potentially inviting bad luck.  Life goes on, and only another 300+ days to go to the next one, and all that…..

It’s funny how quickly you get used to Christmas decorations; how homely, inviting and warm they make a house feel.   They are the spark for the flame of the Christmas spirit which inhabits most homes every year, especially those housing uber-excited ‘naughty and nice’ list delegates!  After waiting a year for the festive season, it always  flies by as quickly as Santa delivers 2 billion gifts around the world in one night.

At this time of year it seems our New Year’s resolutions also get packed away with the tinsel and the Christmas stockings.  Driving to work this morning, Radio 1’s DJs were talking about their New Year’s Resolutions, polling each other on whether they had broken their 2013 promises yet, when one DJ informed the audience that by the end of the week, most of us will have given up on our New Year’s resolutions!

A complacent smirk crept across my face as I mentally complimented my unusual strength of  my 2013 resolve.  It felt like this year would be the year I would keep my resolutions.  I felt so strong, I vowed then and there to add new goals for each one that is ticked off my original list.

However, when I arrived home to lonely, awkward shaped gaps in my furniture layout and pale, lifeless walls…….I recalled DJ Danny’s words from this morning……My resolutions no longer seemed so vivid, so achievable; they were fading, and my will to commit was feeling battered and bruised.

Perhaps this is why so many of our New Year’s resolutions are the same each year; perhaps they are stored away with the  baubles and the fairy lights each January, where they wait for the magical season’s sparkle to dust them off the following year!