For those who celebrate… when does Christmas arrive in your home ? As for we of This Old House, the day after Thanksgiving and all through that weekend, the tree and all the stuff settles in. I absolutely love this holiday – for the joy those little lights and the old fashioned bulbs and the Christmas baking bring to the atmosphere, the fond memories rekindled of those big Italian Christmas gatherings at my Aunt’s house with all the cousins and aunts and uncles, and memories of the beautiful decor in my grandmother’s warm home (there were even red bows on the picture frames!) I have a few ornaments from my mom’s tree, a cherished addition on our tree year after year. I also love gifting people. That held true back in the day when I didn’t have a pot to you-know-what in… and today as I find ways to be creative in the gift giving. The beauty of that is, creative gift giving doesn’t have to cost an arm and a leg – and sometimes it’s even free, the gift of your efforts and time. It is truly the thought that counts.
So about that timing thing. My neighbor across the road doesn’t put her tree and decorations up till Christmas Eve. Heck, we’re almost done by then. Her tree twinkles in the living room window until far into February, while ours is cleared out at the first of the year. For me, once Christmas is over, it’s over. As the new year comes in, I want a fresh clean approach, including inside the house.
This year I noticed the decor after operation Christmas clean-up felt a little stale, so I decided to take down some window treatments, move some wall hangings, clear some of the decor clutter, change up the mantels on the fireplaces, and try real hard, and believe me the struggle is real, to not drag out and display MORE decor clutter in the process. It just feels good to simplify.
With the first of the year came the never ending and never quite accomplished resolution to eat healthier, lose the extra weight and add more exercise. So, I’ve kick started that goal yet again, broken-record message or not. It’s never too late to get going, keep going… Onward. After some research I decided to stick with what will probably work in the long haul, using the WW points system via phone app to monitor carb intake. Diets like KETO just aren’t sustainable for a person like me, anyway. That one in particular involves too much meat consumption, and while I know it gets results, I doubt it’s great long-term for anyone’s arteries.
Wishing you all good things in the new year – thank you for stopping by.
