Rethinking Christmas Decor

When I began decorating for Christmas this year, it was immediately apparent that something had to change.  Brett's health challenges have made it difficult for him to walk or even stand for very long.  In my heart I knew that the decorating would be solely my job.

Being a somewhat sentimental person (particularly at Christmas time), I anticipated a somewhat difficult process.

I think preparing for the party fueled the project.

I began with hiring a few helpers to bring down all the decor that has been stored in overhead garage storage.

When that was done, I asked them if they would like our 9 foot Christmas tree.  They did.  So off it went to a new home.

Strangely, that was a huge relief.

From there I went through every bin with an eye toward what pieces really held meaning or sparked joy (as Marie Kondo would say).

We still have a decorated tree.

It sports our favorite and most meaningful ornaments.

All the others found new homes.

This tree requires no ladders or stepstools to decorate.

It also resides in my favorite reading room.

We've also come to enjoy a beverage in here right after the lights come on most evenings.

In this open floor plan home it is also visible from most other rooms.

It was interesting to see what was kept during this process.

This postcard dated 1934 was something my mom held on to.

Obviously it was special to her when she received it from a little boy at age ten.  I think the Santa in his green suit is charming.

It needed to come out of the box I have been keeping it in and displayed on the bookshelf.  Might not mean much to others, but it warms my heart.

My vintage collection was thinned once again.

Now it is down to the most meaningful pieces.

Old family photos with Santa were given new frames.

I paired them with favorite snowmen collected through the years.

If you were to visit our home, you would most likely not notice

anything different as there is still plenty of Christmas festivity happening.

Behind the scenes things are much more manageable

and the remaining pieces hold memories and meaning.

This just might be the best gift we could give ourselves this Christmas. ;-D

Funny how priorities change as we get older.

❄ Wishing you a peaceful week ❆

Holiday Hospitality

Over the weekend we hosted a holiday party for a group of neighbors.

There were 23 of us in all.

I had intended to snap a few photos throughout the evening, but this is the only one I took.

One neighbor came early and assembled her homemade sangria.

Many oranges and lemons were juiced for this.

It was very tasty as well as festive.

One neighbor brought this darling floral arrangement in the Milk For Santa vase.  

Next to it is one of the waxed amaryllis I mentioned in my previous post.  They arrived the day before Thanksgiving.  This one is just beginning to emerge from the bulb.  There are four of them.  I'm curious to see how they do.  One hasn't started to grow yet.  They are supposed to take 3-5 weeks til bloom time.  They require no care and can be placed anywhere according to the instruction label.  I like that type of gardening, especially at this busy time of year.

Hosting this party forced me to do my Christmas decorating early.

Also forced me to clean the house more thoroughly than normal.

I'm happy to report that the party was a success and now it is so nice to relax and enjoy the clean and decorated house.

Have a wonderful week!!