Simplifying Christmas

Other than the wrapping, I can actually see the light at the end of the holiday tunnel. I have one or two small gifts to pick up but the major items are tucked away throughout our house in every hiding place imaginable.

Since I am married to a Scrooge who hates clutter (boy did he pick the wrong family to marry into) and that we have an 18 month old ruling the house, I have decided to cut back on the holiday adornment of our home. To my surprise this has actually worked out quite well and saved me so much time. I know I will love it more come January 2nd when it is time to take it all down.

 

Growing up our house didn't have a real fireplace. It had one, but you plugged in the logs and they would glow. Of course I never actually saw it work, but at least it gave us someplace to hang the stockings. At my and Pete's first home we didn't have a fireplace. I think I hung our stocking on one of those mirrors with the hooks (coat rack thingies). It worked but it wasn't the same. Now we have an actual fireplace although we rarely have fires, I love decorating it for the season.

Normally we set up a pre-lit 7-8' tall tree that takes up a rather large chunk of our cozy living/dining room, but this year with Ella off and running I decided I just wasn't going to deal with protecting the tree from her all December. Instead, we borrowed this cutie from my mom and are using it as our Ella-proof tree. 

Sure, Anna threw a bit of a tantrum at first, but once we set up an even tinier tree in her room, put up the outdoor lights, finished the mantle and she realized how much room there was for presents under and around the table of the Ella-proof tree, she was on board. (God help us all if she is not.)

I gave away all my baked goods from the Newport Levee craft-fair on St. Nick to my kids' teachers so that takes care of 90% of the annual holiday baking. Now if I can just get my kids out of the house for a day, I can sort through all the gifts, determine which gifts are from Santa and which are from their grandparents (we shop for them, it is easier on everyone), wrap and call this year's to do list complete.