Thursday, November 25, 2010

confessions from a non-decorated home

i'll be honest, it has been a challenge for me to not get all knotted up in the fact that my home is not decorated for christmas yet.
in fact, i'm not exactly sure when it will be completed.



for years, i pulled out the plethora of christmas decorations the second week of november. it would take me about two weeks but i'd be all done by thanksgiving. but the last couple of years i've wanted a much 'less decorated' home. i really don't want the clutter, albeit cute festive clutter, all over my home. makes me nervous. and this year, i want even less clutter.
especially with my dark floors and white furniture finally the way i've dreamed...



i mentioned this less is more plan to savannah who promptly told me that one of the main reasons christmas is her favorite holiday ( besides the obvious birth of christ) is the way our home is decorated.
who knew?


i look back at photos of how my home was decorated years ago & i think...WHY? why did no one save me? seriously. manic clutter everywhere. oh my word. now i love it in shops and other peoples homes but why oh why did i have every single piece of christmas decor that i owned all over my house? there is no answer.



i think i sorta feel guilty not using all of everything. isn't that the stupidest thing? i mean just because i have red & white polkadot goodies doesn't mean i need to mix them with all things glittered. every single ornament does not need to hang from the tree every single year.
 liberating thoughts. i know.



fresh greenery
vintage ornaments
silver & gold
there you have it
that's the plan




so anyway, back to the uncompleted home.
here is a list of my disclaimers if for no one else but me~
i worked day shift at my job on thanksgiving day.
i've done a few photoshoots....another story for another post.
savannah is knee deep in basketball cheering & emi is soon to start her season. yep, two girls cheering basketball. otherwise known as the sport with a gazillion games that never ends.
i've been sick for a week.
i have a teenager who is lobbying to be at the mall first thing friday morning. shoot me now. not to be confused with the teenager old enough to drive herself and her closest friends who plans on arriving at said mall at five a.m.
& it should rain all day the day after thanksgiving. making for a tough time getting a tree.
i may have as many as three photo shoots saturday.
sunday we have church morning & evening.
monday is my sweet guy's birthday.
so
the house may get decorated in december. not november.
big deal, right?


tonight i came home to a house that i truly grateful for
with 5 people who i love more than life itself.
after eating dinner with a brother who i think hung the moon & his fantastic wife
& her incredibly talented sister. ( go dawgs)
and my parents who have been married to each other for over 44 years & love each other like it has only been 44 days.
my heart is full .....

we were finishing up our dinner when dan got a call. one of his friends had passed away tonight. a young man who loved the lord & was an excellent role model to the kids he taught. absolutely heartbreaking.
to the williamson family, you are in our prayers tonight. we are so sorry....

that call , a bittersweet reminder of the fragility of life. a reminder that death is no respector of holidays.

14 years ago my friend susan came over and wrapped christmas lights around the tree for me.  gregg had passed away a couple weeks prior to thanksgiving.  that labor of love, i will never forget. was it before or after thanksgiving? it matters not. the sweet friend who wanted to 'be there for me'...that's what i remember.

anyway.

my home may not be decorated yet for the holidays.
but i pray my heart never loses site of what THE holiday is all about.
i pray i never get so busy worrying over things that although are nice and lovely, are only temporary and lose vision for what is eternal.


matthew 6.21
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.

28 comments:

Lemonade Makin' Mama said...

My man and I always repeat, "Moth and Rust" every time we feel like we're getting hung up on the "stuff" and not the reason... so I love this post. Six months ago, when we vowed to change our lifestyle, I weeded out my Christmas bins and kept ONLY what I truly LOVED. Thus, eliminating two whole bins. I'm keeping the decor fun, and honestly, more simple than I have in years past, just shuffling furniture around from other rooms, and pulling old pillow covers out to make it all work. Somehow, it's all going to come together, and even if it doesn't I do not care! Weird that I just typed that. Weirder still, that I typed it and MEANT it. Change... it's a comin.'

(But secretly, I still can't wait to see what all you do... just sayin.)

A Thrifted Market said...

Amen and well said! Blessings to you and yours this Christmas season!

Dawn Gahan said...

Paige,

Our hearts are heavy with you about Coach Williamson. My daughter Harleigh graduated from Providence and was blessed to have had him for a teacher. On this Thanksgiving evening, upon hearing the news, our earlier thankful prayers were all that much more poignant.

Blessings to your lovely family!

Dawn

And I'm with ya on the paring down on Christmas decorating. I assure my girlie that once grandchildren enter the picture, I'll go crazy out-of-control magical!

Wendy said...

Beautiful perspective Paige. Thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

leigh ann said...

sweet girl i'm right there with ya. hearing about jonny tonight puts a new perspective on everything--once again--for me. you and i know it's not the lights or the decorated tree or the gifts being wrapped as pieces of art......it's about his birth and ultimately his death which gives us the promise of eternal life. thank you, God, for that.

and friend, nowhere in the Bible does it say 'people have it decorated by December!' since we were on the tour of homes last year and had decorations up in our home before Halloween and didn't get all the way packed back up until late January--the thought of bringing them all out again is not one bit appealing to me. i'm gonna find my manger scene.....that's really all we need! Praise God, that's all we need!

love you paige girl!

leigh ann said...

sweet girl i'm right there with ya. hearing about jonny tonight puts a new perspective on everything--once again--for me. you and i know it's not the lights or the decorated tree or the gifts being wrapped as pieces of art......it's about his birth and ultimately his death which gives us the promise of eternal life. thank you, God, for that.

and friend, nowhere in the Bible does it say 'people have it decorated by December!' since we were on the tour of homes last year and had decorations up in our home before Halloween and didn't get all the way packed back up until late January--the thought of bringing them all out again is not one bit appealing to me. i'm gonna find my manger scene.....that's really all we need! Praise God, that's all we need!

love you paige girl!

Cheryl said...

Paige,
I have missed hearing from you. It must be the year for simplifying. All of my carolors are staying in their home in the attic this year. It's a combination of exhaustion and a need to change.
I hope you are feeling better and prayers to your friends. Life is so unexpected.
~c

Suzanne said...

Hey Girlfriend,
Thanks for writing yesterday. I always love hearing from you and now I feel especially grateful after hearing about your incredibly busy life.
Don't stress the house. Crazy people like me make you feel this way, I know, but the truth is, I sifted through the piles of decorations last year and tossed a TON out. Like you, I wanted to simplify. While it looks like a lot, mine is located in certain areas. And after watching "Elf" a few years back, we started making white rings and string them instead of a bunch of table top and counter clutter. Looks so pretty and festive...kids love it...and I have clean, white and fresh where I want it. Just a thought...
Sorry this is so long but when you write about so many amazing things:)
So happy for your family time yesterday and sad to hear about your friend. Praying that his family will eventually find joy in the memories and feel the love of GOD and wonderful friends like you!
XOXOXOX
Suzanne
P.S. Photo shoot? Good for you!!!

Unknown said...

Boy did your thoughts resonate with me! I agree 100% with everything you said.

Happy Thanksgiving. Hope you survive the weekend...sounds like you might be a tad bit busy!
xo~Jill

tiffany day said...

Great reminder paige - than you for sharing your heart -- its the people in our lives that make our life worthwhile not the stuff!!

hope you are having a great weekend!

xo

Katie said...

Love that verse! What a great reminder.

Anne Lorys said...

Bravo, my friend!
You truly do have your priorities in order, and I applaud you for it.

:-)

XO,
Anne

One Woman's Thoughts said...

My Dear,
It sounds like your home is already beautifully decorated . . . with love.



My condolances to your loss.

Bravehearted Beauty {formerly LLH Designs} said...

Such a thoughtful post. I confess that I love decorating the day after Thanksgiving. Being in the Christmas card businesss with a studio in back of my home means I always decorate, but I like to keep it simple. Not too many bins (though today I was thinking I had too many). If I pull out decorations that don't give me joy, in the donation box they go.

You'll laugh knowing that my nativities sometimes linger until February. Jesus doesn't mind!

Xo...Linsey

Between You and Me said...

love the idea of a simple Christmas.

we try to keep ours simple, too.

the only stressful thing at our house is making sure the christmas picture gets taken...

wish you lived closer to us and you could take it.....I mean...wish WE lived closer to you!

hope you feel better soon...and saying prayers for the family of your husband's friend....

Bring Pretty Back said...

This was such a great post! And I agre 100%! As I am packing to move into our new home -I am not taking ONE single thing I don't love. NOT ONE~! I am loving all this purging I am doing!
Have a pretty day!
Kristin

Anonymous said...

lovely post. I think that this year seems to call for simple decor. I bought a beautiful poinsettia today at the grocery store and stuck it in an old bucket I bought last summer and it just looks so festive and completely simple. I hope we get a tree tomorrow. No matter what you do your home will be beautiful and full of the people you love.

Jennifer said...

Beautiful post! Thank you for sharing your thoughts with others =)

ellieshine said...

amen sister.

Leslie said...

I needed to hear this today Paige. My heart is so heavy. We had our house broken into on Monday, we feel so violated, sad, angry etc... I could not even stay here all week long. We forced ourselves to come home today, I want to get a tree today, I am just not in the mood at all. Decorating this year does not even sound fun. Maybe doing so will pull me out of my funk (not sure). I have been so thankful this week for my many blessings of family and friends, warm meals, and laughter. I need to focus myself on Christ and not all of the fluff and stuff. My home does not feel like mine anymore, nor do I feel like making it look beautiful. Please pray that I get out of this funk and we will feel safe here again. So sorry about your friend's passing, that is just so sad during the holidays.

Dawn said...

Thank you for reminding us of the truly important.
My home is not decorated yet. Usually it is done the day after Thanksgiving.
I am waiting until we return from TX...we are flying out this week to meet our newest granddaughter. I am going with smocked pretties in hand.
:)

Blessings on you and may you be a comfort to your friends in the midst of their loss.

Dawn @ 4:53 am
xo

Jeanne Oliver said...

With every year of marriage and children we keep getting simplier....and silly girl...I haven't even thought of decorating yet:-)

Gathering Hope said...

Beautiful...

Debra said...

I used to feel guilty for not putting out every last decoration and ornament but the last few years I realized it's okay (yes, it took me that long). So, I put out only what I love and keep the rest in the bins - last year I got rid of one bin worth of stuff. This year I plan to do the same - if I decided I ever want the snowman jingle bell wreath again I'll have to shop for one! :)

I am so sorry about your husband's friend. Life is so fragile. And these things sure put things in perspective.

Martha said...

love this so much...and this year...I just feel the same...I've actually donated some things I won't be using already...and I'm finding that simplicity with decorating is what I'm doing...I don't want any clutter
and my home is not even close to being finished either...not sure if I'll even get to it but I more want to focus on just time and fun things to do together rather than decorating my home
lovely post and your pictures are beautiful!

Privet and Holly said...

Love this, Paige.
I am so with you.
I find that in the
last few years that
I have become a quieter
Christmas girl....
Maybe that comes with
being older and
appreciating the real
treasures at this
time of year. Thank
you for the reminder.
xx Suzanne

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. This brought tears to my eyes. Thank you.

Ramona said...

Good Morning Paige ~

God Bless your lovely heart for this post. I have tears of gratitude from reading your words.

Blessings ~ Ramona