Sunday, December 18, 2016

SIMPLY CHRISTMAS

Every year I seem to struggle over how much (or how little) to decorate for Christmas. For the first few years living here in this old house, I wanted Christmas in every room. Glenn would put up two larger trees that we decorated together, and I'd put up three smaller ones which I decorated with vintage kitchen items like crocheted potholder dresses, doll-sized utensils, and handmade ornaments. I'd also unpack Hallmark Keepsake ornaments and other adornments I'd collected through the years and place them on the trees and around the house. It looked so festive when I hosted the family gatherings, but it was a lot of work. It wasn't that I didn't like doing it, but it was very time consuming and I'd never enjoyed the process of "un-decorating" and putting everything away after the holidays. How is it that all those things came out of a few totes but they didn't all seem to fit into the same totes later?  

This year, I didn't want to tackle the "Christmas closet", as I'd already done that once, while I was searching for something I wanted to have in the cabin during the home show. I put back everything because I didn't want boxes and totes full of decorations left all over the place, in case some of my visitors might want to come inside the house. After the show, I suggested to Glenn that we put up the tree that was the easiest to reach, add lights and vintage Shiny Brite ornaments, which I store in easily accessed vintage suitcases, and then we could enjoy the tree decorating instead of dreading it. One should never dread putting up a Christmas tree. So that's what we did. I did not dig into the closet to look for all those old boxed Hallmark ornaments we have, nor did I pull out the figurines or the quilted table runners, the fabric tree skirt, or even the old stockings I'd made years ago. I found a few cherished pieces and displayed them in the family room, along with fragrant candles that have cinnamon and pine aromas. I added strings of tiny white lights to the ceramic houses which are in alignment on the mantle and placed some pinecones, greenery, and a handmade primitive bear in the dough bowl on the dining room table. I filled a round wooden bowl with a scented candle and the vintage ornaments that didn't make it to the tree, and took an old red and white quilt from the sunroom and used it for a tree skirt.    

There are times I love to have every room in the house filled with holiday decorations but this year I'm perfectly content with a scaled-down version of Christmas. It wasn't stressful this year to put up a tree and add lights and ornaments to it. We even added lights to the outside of the house, but just along the fence, on the side porch, and around the deck railing - nothing elaborate, but still festive-looking. In fact, I can see the deck lights from my bedroom and it's fun to look at them as I drift off to sleep.  

My niece, her 4-year-old daughter, and I had a cookie baking session last Sunday and what fun that was. We listened to Christmas music while we baked and enjoyed the lights from the mantle, the tree, and the candles. We stored the cookies in festive tins and my niece shared them with all of us who attended her daughter's birthday party tonight at her home. 

I'm happy for a less stressful holiday season and my house still looks like Christmas even without every one of the traditional decorations I always thought I needed to display. I've been finding Christmas in simple things like baking sessions with family members, gazing at colorful lights and ornaments from times past, and listening to Christmas music that lifts my spirit. I've been more focused on what the spirit of Christmas actually means, instead of worrying about which decorations to display.  

I wish everyone a Joyous and stress-free Holiday Season.
  







4 comments:

Michelle said...

Looks very pretty. I have yet to put up decorations.....only going to do a small fake tree for my son. First year not going all out and first year for no live tree. So over it all.

Kady said...

Hi Michelle. It's not too late to put up your tree. My tree is a fake one too. In fact, though I'd always wanted a "prim tree", I wasn't willing to pay the prices I'd seen. I found this one at the Salvation Army store three years ago. It was only $25. It comes apart in the middle and we store it on a shelf over the cellar stairs so it's easy to get to and we don't have to dig through the whole Christmas closet to reach a tree. I'm at the point in my life to let go of a lot of my decorations I think. It's so much easier to use one main tree. I may be done with doing so much decorating too. I'm sure your son will love whatever tree you put up. We don't need to have every room in our homes decorated. Let the love of family and love of this season be our decorations. Have a blessed Christmas!

Merilyn said...

I love your Christmas decorations, sometimes a little less is more!!! I only put up a few Christmas wall hangings these days.....it's a nice reminder of the Season....

Kady said...

I'm seriously considering letting go of my large Christmas tree and a medium size one I often use as a tabletop tree. Both have been used for many years and I'm happy with the primitive slender tree. I can't fit as many ornaments on it but this year we put only the vintage Shiny Brites and colored lights on it and loved how it looked. Plus, it fits in a smaller space, which is nice. I never thought I'd get to the point of wanted fewer decorations, but there isn't as much to put away if I don't get out as many. That works for me!