The Plan Was to Simplify

 

 

When we decided to combine our households, we knew we would be up for some challenges.  Two middle aged adults have generally had the opportunity to accrue vast amounts of doo dads, thingamabobs and whatzits.  We were fairly polite with each other when it came time to decide which one of us got to keep their whatzit and which one had to get rid of a doo dad. 

 

Downsizing the holiday decorations proved to be far easier than either of us had thought possible.  A lack of small children underfoot provided each of us with the opportunity to finally simplify this time of year.  We had both spoken of our pasts, when it would take a minimum of three days to deck our halls.  Undecking was also an arduous task that we both found odious.  With this in mind, we each chose a handful of tree ornaments that we cherished and only one or two other items we felt were significant to us.  We went shopping for our first Christmas tree and opted for a very slim artificial that was pre-lit to add to the simplification.  Decorating the entire house and tree took a maximum of one hour that year.  We rejoiced in how wise we were and that we could now concentrate on the enjoyment of the holiday season, rather than the work we were facing.  Outside of buying our new tree, two or three new ornaments to signify our first Christmas together and one trip to the local backwoods boutique for a very tiny, (pre-lit, of course!) tree for the porch, we had bought nothing new and were thrilled with the lack of stress we felt that year. 

 

Last year, we decided to continue with the theme of keeping it simple.  Another trip to the woodsy boutique provided us with this set of ginormous bells for a pillar on the front porch.  We added this really awesome wreath that looked like it was caught in a blizzard and maybe went a little nutsy with about twenty new ornaments for the tree.  We figured that was okay, as we were still establishing things that said us.  A couple of new candle holders didn’t really count as adding to the hullabaloo, as we feel one can never have enough candles burning on the holidays.  Of course, we had to buy some extra candles, too.

 

This year, we decided to put a small, wood burning fireplace in our sunroom just before winter started.  We were so tickled with the opportunity to be able to use the sunroom year round that we decided to put the Christmas tree in there.  A few new ornaments had to be added to the tree, naturally.  We also found the need to put a couple of things in the windows and on the tables of this room, as we hadn’t decorated it previously.  A mannequin that we’d purchased on a lark during the summer now needed a Santa suit of sorts.  Inside, we realized we had very little holiday decorations.  A four foot (pre-lit, again for simplification) table top tree was added to the dining room, along with an armful of miniature ornaments to cover it.  While out shopping for this tree at the woodsy boutique, we came across some ornaments that we both found intriguing.  They were purchased on a whim, just to see what we might be able to do with them.  We came up with this really cool thingamabob to put in the doorway between two rooms.  This really cool thingamabob then made the garland that was there previously look pretty cheesy.  We went back to the woodsy boutique and bought these really amazing garlands with long, pine needles and bodacious pine cones to hang with the intriguing thingamabob we invented.  It looks incredible.  I accidentally found some pearly kind of garland like thingies in another store and added them to represent snow and ice.  Now it looks amazingly more amazing.  My husband had to make one more trip to this little store for one more pearly garland thingy to help round it out and now we’re done decorating for this year.  We think.

 

Oh, and the candles!  I can’t forget the two, large bags of scented candles that I carried out of the Hallmark store.  Now, we’re done.

 

We had thought to fill the window boxes with evergreens and berries, but that can wait until next year.  The garlands we want to put between the other rooms and on the stair rails can wait until next year, too.  Along with those poinsettias I want to put on the stairs.

 

Yes, the plan was to simplify…