A Simpler Christmas

A simpler Christmas. 

Christmas has been a little simpler this year. Earlier in the fall Chuck and I decided it was time to do a little decluttering. We've been kicking around the idea of what to do next in our lives, and selling the house seems to be the direction we are headed. 

We were caught totally off guard at the sheer amount of stuff we had accumulated, as it appears that I'm really good at hiding a massive amount of clutter in a really organized fashion. Part of the process was letting go of Christmas paraphernalia that had overtaken the closet under the stairs. 

Along with paring down the decorations we also parted with our artificial tree which resulted in a fun trip to a local Christmas tree farm to chop down our own. It seemed to beg for a simpler trimming, and we enjoyed stringing cranberry and popcorn, and making our own cinnamon applesauce ornaments. We never even pulled out our extensive collection of Hallmark ornaments this year. 

Decorating the house took about five minutes as only our absolutely favorite things made the cut this year. This included not setting up the Christmas Village which seemed to be mimicking Frisco in its growth. To be honest it's future fate is still yet to be determined. Instead I put out The Night Before Christmas House which lights up as it tells the familiar story. 

Since I made the uncanny decision to limit my sugar consumption in the month of December my baking has been limited to our favorite Molasses Crinkles. The nativity scene was set up simply on a bare mantle, and "the stockings were hung by the chimney with care."

Perhaps the most unconventional thing of all this year is that Chuck and I have decided to not buy each other gifts. It just didn't seem to make sense to bring more stuff into our home after spending nearly a month getting rid of things. Now I don't  anticipate that this will be a regular Christmas tradition, but for today we have enjoyed our more laid back, simpler Christmas. 

We look forward to spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with our loved ones, and have enjoyed getting to savor only our favorites which have added to the specialness of the season. Chuck and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year!