Last weekend I went through four boxes of my holiday decor and pared them down to three. My primary desire in paring down, while admittedly I want less stuff to store, is that I also want to actually have stored what I love and look forward to using each year when the holidays
arrive.
I
also took a closer look at the color scheme I wanted to work with in my house which required me to let décor details go (donated) as they reflected a different me, a person, a life that I no longer was or lived but was keeping and using partly out of obligation, but upon closer examination, realizing these particular details held no either happy memories or any memories at all as they had been purchased just because I needed [insert detail or item,
etc.].
So
this year, I am shifting how I decorate my tree. I am letting go of attempting to make it “perfect” (admittedly, it never was, but there was always an unconscious attempt to see if I could make it look somewhat like the décor magazines’ trees with their luxurious ribbon, plush and full branches without an inch of space to spare) and hanging for the first time in many years the ornaments that speak to my journey as well as welcoming details handmade by my maternal grandmother and this year a
handful of ornaments made by me from the pinecones outside of my new home. Don’t be fooled, I am not crafty, but it was fun to create something that would be part of my story and not just something similar to any other tree décor (and it was far less expensive ;).
How
we celebrate and decorate for the holidays evolves and grows and moves with our lives as they too evolve, grow and meander down the road of life. So long as we do not try to force what no longer brings us or others in our lives joy, but is only being done out of obligation, we can be sure a festive, warm and memorable season will be experienced.
In this week's newsletter, discover simple new ways to elevate the everyday, a podcast episode inspired by unforeseen events in my life which occurred this fall, along with the discovery of a new book that was exactly what I needed to read during this time of my life. Along with three new movies worth checking out and oodles of books, this week's This & That may just have that gift you've been looking for or that gift to yourself you've been
looking for as well ;).
Thank you for choosing to subscribe to TSLL's weekly newsletter, and until next Friday, I will see you on the blog. Bonne journée.