So late-lee,I’ve been kind of busy.  Like many of you, I am busy at work and then end up at home with another job consisting of cooking (or driving through a favorite restaurant), cleaning, and taking care of things around the house.  And, while I’m sharing the details of what my “normal” days consist of, I have a confession. It’s early November and yes, I have decorated for Christmas.  At this point, I can hang my head sheepishly knowing there’s one portion of the population out there that thinks I’m absolutely nuts or simply sit sip my glass of wine and enjoy the peace of the lights around me. Well, I choose the latter of the two options. Miss Manners may actually frown upon my decision, but one little known fact about me is when I commit to a decision, I’m all in! So, it’s full on Christmas, with a dash of Thanksgiving.  Did I neglect to share that little tidbit? 

It is unusual for me to decorate this early. I’m a traditional person, who was raised by a good southern gal who believed and ingrained in my mind that we should decorate the day after Thanksgiving and then remove it all on New Year’s Day. Were any of you raised that way?  

Admittedly, while I was arranging my decor last weekend, I felt odd.  I felt like I could hear my mom’s voice asking me what I was thinking, but like many of my defiant teen days, I continued.  But, let me tell you, it has been freeing! Recently, I read an article that made me feel better about my choice. It actually said that those who decorate early are more nostalgic and more in touch with their inner child.  Since I’m close to 50, I need to stay in touch with that inner child and maintain a good relationship with her! Laura Ingalls Wilder is known for saying, “Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmastime.” So, please let me be the child within me…LOL!  

Normally, I am crazy trying to get it all done in one day. I run around the day after Thanksgiving, skipping the stores, burning all of those unnecessary calories from the day before, gingerly placing the decor in this corner or that.  Unfortunately, I always felt my stress level increase as the day wore on, because I knew it had to be done, since work lurked just a few hours away. I didn’t feel that way this time. I actually enjoyed the process. I reveled in the memories as I studied all of the homemade ornaments my girls made at school. With each piece that I hung or carefully found a temporary home for, I was reminded of who gave it to me and how I missed him or her. I took pride in watching my home transform into a scene from one of the holiday Hallmark movies I enjoy watching. 

As the years have gone by, I’ve added a tree or two. I felt a bit skimpy with just one. I’ve downsized the size of trees I use to make storage easier. I’ve always wanted a closet to store my trees, so when my oldest daughter got married and moved out, I converted the closet into a holiday storage closet, so pretty much I simply slide my trees (decorations and all) into them until the next year. I used to treat my Thanksgiving dinner guests with the big reveal as we cleaned away the dishes, I would magically pull out the first tree of the season with a big “Ta Da!” This year, they’ll be surprised to find Christmas started a tad early! 🙂 

The tree in my kitchen is my “cookie tree!” The reason I decided to add this tree is in memory of the many years of Christmas cookie making and cakes, candies and pie baking that my sisters and mom did every Christmas Eve.  We did that for many years. The Christmas Eve after my mom died, felt wrong. It was just so hard to continue with a tradition that was so rich with her memories. So, this tree, adorned with recipe cards, cookie cutters, measuring spoons, artificial cookies and such is a tribute to those memories.  I added a tree in my bedroom that is decorated with ornaments that my mom had. I called it my “Mama’s tree!” It is delicately decorated with flowers and pale colored ornaments. The other trees are just decorated with a mixture of old and new ornaments to remind me of how life continues and new memories are waiting to be made. My husband probably cringes when he sees the decorating getting in full swing, because as you may recall, he’s a money man. While I see the peace in the lights, he’s seeing the meter running faster than Santa’s sleigh!

How do you decorate? Do you also have themes or tributes to memories? I, in no way, want to influence your decision to decorate or not decorate, but I just wanted to let you know that whatever you decide is okay. I’m not aiming to be Clark Griswold, but I am far from being a Grinch! In all seriousness, I never forget that the reason I decorate is to celebrate the birth of my Lord and Savior, Jesus! Jesus is love and during the Christmas season, we should celebrate not with gifts, but with our hearts! The best presents around our trees is actually our family and friends that gather around them.

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