One Million Things I’m Not Using to Decorate For The Holidays

As the holidays approach, and I see shelves in the stores stuffed with Christmas accessories, bells and bows, and I captured my reaction of repulsion. The idea of actually pulling out boxes from the attic to decorate my shelves and walls is a little more than I can squeeze into my schedule. There. It actually happened. I became the exact type of person that I once recoiled at, and tried to talk them back down off the ledge, to pull out those holiday decorations and deck that tree. I have become that person — and I’m actually glad I’m finally able to see the light.

It’s interesting to think back on the exact way I once used to feel about the holidays and the decorations and decking the halls. Much of it is documented right here on this blog. Today that doesn’t even feel like the same world.

I really went all out. The Advent Calendars, the Jesse Tree. It’s so hard even to look back…It was so much work, but at the same time, it was what I wanted to do.

These, may be an exception… I still love these.

Still, it is frightening. How did I become this person, so suddenly?

Part of it may have to do with the fact that time speeds up as we age. Now, at the onset of the holidays, we can see the timeline, that path that takes us directly from November 30 to Jan 2 in one short-lived trajectory. Where the end culminates in a frenzy of creepy-crawly feeling that compels you to remove the decor cluttering your home.

Maybe, as we age, we get smarter about where to spend our energy and time.

Shouldn’t I feel bad about this? I still have kids at home, and kids are coming home from college. I think it will be fine. I remember making a Halloween banner, out of book pages, and after I had it all hung, my son said, “Mom, just put out a bag of candy corn, and we’ll be fine.”