Inspired by Nester's post on Monday, here's a list of things I am not doing this Christmas.
I am not letting all those digital photos stored on my hard drive go to waste. I printed out pictures from each year since the kids were born, framed them in forgotten frames I had sitting on shelves in the basement, and hung them on the entry wall in my living room. It's not perfect. But they're being utilized - and that's beautiful to me.
I'm not using tinsel on my tree this year. Or last year, either, actually. But every year before that when we decorated our 13 year-old Christmas tree, it held the same silvery tinsel my mom's tree carried all the years of my childhood. Last year, after the kids placed their beloved ornaments all over the Christmas tree, I discovered there was barely room left for my own ornaments. Let alone tinsel. This year - by the time the kids were done - I think I had to leave about 25% of my own decorations in the box. Although my initial response was to cringe at all the haphazardly cut shapes and stickered nativity scenes and paper chains, I realized that this tree - in all its homemade splendor - was perfect, too. One day, when I open the holiday decor box, package theirs up, and send their decorations off to them in their own grown-up homes, my tree will be bare. And I will be forced to create a new beautiful. But for now. For this tree. This is perfection.
I'm not forcing my kids to take and retake and take again Christmas card photos every Sunday between now and Christmas Day. Cuz I took my sweet cutie-pies out to that barn in the park weeks ago. And my cards are done. The End.
I'm also not writing our Christmas Top 10 list in lieu of the Christmas Letter. It's been done. And copied. And I'm trying to write a letter in the voice of one of our canines. But it's hard to be a canine. And it's tough to write a creative, new, imaginative , and fun Christmas Letter. So, I may not write one at all. After-all, if you really want to know what's going on in our lives on a regular basis, read the blog. Hello!
I'm NOT shopping at any stores - WalMart, the mall, Target, anywhere any weekend in December. We're usually last minute shoppers. This year, for the most part, we're finished. And it feels wonderful to NOT be under that stress!
What else am I not doing? Blogging regularly. I've opted, instead, to sleep.
Laundry. It's growing mold. But I'm not moving. It isn't either. Yet. Give the mold time.
What else? Anything you're not doing this year?
(P.S. Stay tuned for the continuing saga of From New to Used!!!)
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
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4 comments:
I'll have to think of the things I'm not doing this Christmas. So far all I've done is think of the things I need to do. Like decorate my tree, put up lights on the house, cut and build wood homes for the gingerbread house party we're hosting in a week. That and we've decided to continue with our adoption application. For more info on that we'll need to have another phone call. ;) I'm proud of you for all you've accomplished already. I haven't even got our letter written and usually our letter is in the mail the day after Thanksgiving. I guess traveling out of state could be my excuse. LOL
for the first time since the kids were born i am contemplating not doing christmas cards.... agh!
For only the second time in my life, I am not having a Christmas Tree. I have mixed emotions. Since I have been feeling so puny since July, I really do not have the strength to put it up and take it down. It is a job I have to do by myself because to my husband (Commercial)Christmas is bah humbug.
I could ask my kids for help and they would, but we are going to Hawaii on Jan 1 and it just seems to be more than I can wrap my mind around right now.
I don't know about Christmas, but I know we did NOT travel to family on the way-too-short Thanksgiving break and it felt great. Our OWN Thanksgiving!
Hmmm. I wonder if we can get away with that for Christmas too ... Probably not.
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