Ten days and counting before the big day arrives, and I’m starting the holiday hustle of decorating all things house and gift. This year especially it’s easy to become overwhelmed, so I’ve simplified our to-do list by whittling it down to only the merry must haves.
Our family is pretty traditional, so for us I know holiday cheer means having the tree, decorations, and baked treats to eat. I maintain a simple but firm plan in which our tree is the necessary catalyst for all other holiday activity to commence. This helps set expectations that once it’s in place, kiddos know our much anticipated Elf on the Shelf will arrive the next day, decorations will appear, and the sweet, rich scent of Christmas cookies will soon be wafting through the house.
Our youngest kept us on task to acquire the tree last weekend. Decorating it is a family affair, with me reminiscing over every ornament and them trying to see how many one branch can hold. I’m not ashamed to admit I later relieve overburdened branches.
With the tree come the gifts. This year I’m trying something new by wrapping presents as they’re acquired, rather than my usual Christmas Eve all nighter. I’ve also assigned each family member a secret code name to cut down on gift counting, and honestly, to just drive the children batty – especially the teen. Christmas is a time to enjoy the little things, you know.
With the tree trimmed, I’ve moved onto decorations this week. Here’s another area to pace yourself if necessary. I love pouring over everyone’s holiday squares, always with two questions in mind: how long does that take and where do they store it all? 🤔
Most of our decor can be contained to our main floor area. It’s enough to be exhausting to place it all at once – so I don’t. A room at a time is doable, more if you get the fam to help with this, too. So this year I’m spreading cheer into every space. A string of lights or garland here, some pine cones and snowmen there – just a little extra holiday oomf in a year that’s been full of uff da!
Random Acts of Reality 