Time to pack the decorations

I get ecstatic at Christmas time and can't wait to get the decorations out. I am a Christmas village nerd, starting my collection about 15 years ago. A new building gets purchased every year to add to the collection (sometimes two).. The grandchildren love the tradition of coming to help Pappaw set up the village the day after Thanksgiving.. They have taken on new responsibilities as they get older.

With new year comes the time to put it all away. It's time to carefully pack the buildings in their boxes to be saved for another year. The grandchildren help with this too and learn how to take care of the collection. This year, I told them I teach them all this because some day it will be theirs if they want it.

It's a bit sad to put everything away. If it were up to me, I would leave it up year round; but, my wife has a say in this too, and she wants her living room back.

This year, putting it away will bring new meaning to me though. It marks the beginning of the year when I take on "affiliate marketing" and learn all I can. It is a beginning for me to paint our future so that we can enjoy a better retirement. In a few weeks, I will be 65, so retirement is fast approaching, though it is still a few years off. I want to be ready so that my wife and I can enjoy our life together in retirement and not have to continue working other jobs.

So here's to a putting away the Christmas village and decorations! Onward Wealthy Affiliate!