So I’ve been off-line for a while now from my blog and I want to be more consistent but sometimes things get in the way. Little things like, well, life. I have been sick with a massive Fibro flare that keeps on giving and only now recuperating from that. I finally made it back to work and had to get “caught up” with all I had missed. The next weekend we went to Cleveland, TN to visit my parents and of course my brother, sister-in-law and sister. Then there was the Thanksgiving Holiday/my birthday (that the entire nation celebrates J) and then the crazed kick-off of the Christmas season.
No, I don’t “do” Black Friday. I’ve only gone shopping on Black Friday once in my entire life and hope and pray I never have a mental relapse that induces me to try it again. So far, so good.
But I absolutely LOVE Christmas. I love the idea that many people come together for a few weeks and focus on others. I love the colors. I love the decorations. I love the music. I love the classic TV shows. I love buying presents for others and adopting children from the angel tree. I especially love trees. Each year I put up 7 – 9 Christmas trees inside and outside my house. I have lots of decorations and each tree has its own color/theme. I love watching it come together and tweaking it a bit from the previous year. Sometime I decorate a tree in my office too.
This year I’m struggling though. It isn’t that I don’t still love Christmas and my trees, I do but with my energy waning I find it hard to put up so much stuff as much as I love it all. So, I’m simplifying my Christmas. My simplification may not match what you would call simplification but it is a HUGE step for me. I’ve reduced my number of indoor trees to 4 - actually 3 and a half because one is only 3 feet tall. I’m not even sure if I’m putting up any outside trees. This is a massive step for me. I just don’t have the energy for it all. The problem with putting up the decorations is you have to take them back down again and pack it all up.
Last year after Christmas I started this process by culling through some of my décor and giving it away to Goodwill. I’m refining what I want to keep and what I can live without. I’m sharing by donating and I’m helping a good organization – Goodwill. So what made the cut and what didn’t?
Well, apparently last year (much to my surprise this year) I determined I no longer needed my bows for my living room tree, living room garland and dining room chandelier because they were nowhere to be found this year. So I did go out and buy some new ribbon and made new bows which will be carefully packed for next year. My living room tree is a favorite because it incorporates all the annual ornaments Ben and I have bought together for the last 27 Christmases together. I love the Lennox China annual ornaments and tend to add one of those each year although some of the annual ornaments are Wedgewood or Mikasa if I found something I couldn’t resist. This year I added a new tree skirt as well that I made this evening with leftover fabric scraps of toile, burlap and some fringe trim I purchased.
Because we are travelling at some point during the Christmas season to Kansas City, MO to help our daughters, Amanda and Kaitlyn, move back home temporarily we will be gone for 3 – 4 days so we have decided to forego the live tree in our upstairs family room. With no way to water it for up to 4 days, we were afraid it wouldn’t make it. That was a tough one for me. I love the smell of a fresh tree. Instead of the red and green décor in there incorporating every ornament the girls ever made, I’ve gone with white, silver and green. It is peaceful and lovely. At first, I wasn’t happy with my mantel initially but with some adjustments, I’m a lot happier with how it has turned out.
Next, I headed into the large guest room (aka the room formerly known as Kaitlyn’s) and put up a smaller 6 foot white tree with French blue accents, silver and pearls. The skirt is a white Battenberg lace bed spread. I love how this tree goes with the room and the only “new” addition to this tree from last year is the pearls that I would normally put on the tree in my bedroom. New rule, I will never buy a pre-lit tree again. Eventually those lights will go out and can’t be repaired and then each wire, bulb and clip will have to be removed. One at a time. Painfully slow even with a wire cutter. Ask me how I know. SIGH…
Then I went to the smaller guest room (aka the room formerly known as Amanda’s) and put up the 4 foot tall white tree with pink, brown and gold ornaments. It is a fun little tree with the brown glittery birds. I feel like it “needs” something else but haven’t figured that out yet. Just like my life, a work in progress. J
I have also put up a tree in the downstairs family room and decorated the stairs. I used all my red and green decorations there as I hate to not have them out. The memory of each ornament that was made by the girls when they were small makes them so precious to me. If my house was on fire and if I could, I would grab the cats, my photos, the girl’s keepsake boxes from their childhoods and the ornaments they made me. Do you have those ornaments too? Made with popsicle sticks and painted macaroni that no one but a mother would love? Remember making those for your mother too? Simply precious!
I’ve got to finish this process because the entire house is covered in glitter right now and fake tree needles of various colors. Yesterday at dinner, I noticed Ben had red glitter on his cheek and last night the black cat had fake snow on her – either that or a serious case of dandruff. Lol.
I know 4 (3 ½) trees isn’t exactly the simple life but it is a step in the right direction. Hope your Thanksgiving holiday/my birthday celebration was as peaceful as mine and your Christmas will be Merry and Bright. I hope you've enjoyed my few trees as much as I do.
Take care of yourself and your families.
Chelle
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