Feeling the Season

Here we go! We are all ramping up to be happy and giving and joyful as expected this time each year. We put on our Christmas sweaters and light the cinnamon candles. We fill our nights and weekends with gatherings and gift wrapping. We spend WAY more than we should. We eat WAY more than we should. We feel stressful and frantic about all there is to do. But is all this really necessary?

I think I am going to do things differently this year. I have made a decision to "unclutter" this holiday season.

This year I am going to slow down and watch and feel the season. I am going to remember what Christmas is really about. I am going to actually "experience" Christmas this year.

The first thing I'm going to do is to declutter my environment. I will clean and dust and box up ALL my usual knick-knacks. I LOVE the feeling of space. This process is also symbolic of the changes I continue to make in my life and how things are just more meaningful and deep to me now. I am clearing off the clutter and seeing things thru clear eyes.

Then, I'm going to pull down my Christmas boxes and I am going to pick out only my VERY FAVORITE and meaningful decorations. I will carefully choose a location for these items so I can feel a sense of joy when I look at them.

I am still debating the tree. Our tree is about 20 years old and each branch must be placed on the tree one-by-one. I love the way it looks when it is finished and sparkling with the ornaments and lights but I can't help but conjure up negative thoughts about the process of putting it up and taking it down. I thought about getting a small potted real tree and using it each year but I haven't decided. I'll have to ruminate on this for a while. I'll let you know what I do. I am craving simplicity this year so I can spend more time and energy on the people.

I am also going to become very thoughtful about each gift I give. This year I am going to make sure each person knows I how much they mean to me. I don't know what this will look like yet, all I know is that there will be NO wasted money or time or wrapping paper. The gifts I give might not cost anything at all but it will be from my heart.

Lastly, I am going to try very hard to be open and unexpecting. I do not want to have pre-conceived ideas on how anything will go. I plan to sit back and let the events unfold before me. I will try to notice the smiles and the hugs and the love. I will notice the innocence on the children's faces. I will do a lot of hugging and laughing. I will feel the season!