Our cat, Sagwa, as part of the window display.
Haul out the holly; put up the tree before my spirit falls again. Oh, sorry. The song, “We Need a Little Christmas” (WNALC) is haunting me this holiday season. The radio station that is playing nothing but Christmas music seems to be playing it every few songs when I’m listening. When we entered the art show on Sunday, Angela Lansbury was belting out WNALC. Okay, I guess I need to get up some Christmas decorations!
Except today I had a different thought. Maybe what I need to do is get up a little of our Christmas decorations, and not everything. Yesterday our son asked when we were going to start decorating. I had some containers of decorations in the room so I told him to put them out any way he wanted. I would have put out every single item in those containers. He put out less than half, then told me he was done and there wasn’t room for anything else. A few of the unused items hold sentimental value for me, so I asked our son to put those out. Today, I put all the unused items into one container, closed it up and put it back into the cupboard. A little Christmas.
My Mom had a very large Hummel collection. I now have 2/3 of it. There are a lot of angels, and quite a few Christmas pieces. I have decided to take them out of the cabinet and display some of these Hummels in places I know the cat can’t reach. I look forward to seeing some of the angels displayed on our mantel on either side of my Mom’s nativity set. I think it will be just the right amount of Christmas.
You are a disruptor. The delivery of health care starts with you, continues because of you, and ends with you. Let's disrupt together to make the world better for family caregivers. 
Denise
Hi G-J! I love this: A little, the right way, goes a long way. We do over-do, don’t we? Not just around the holidays, but throughout the year. Your blog is a great reminder to just do.
Kaye Swain SandwichINK
Very wise! When the kids were young and I had plenty of time and energy, I decorated quite a bit. When my senior dad was in hospice, I decorated just a smidge. This year, it’s in between that, and I’m quite happy with that. Seems like each year it’s a little different. But as I tell my grandkids, it keeps me from getting bored.
I loved the flexibility you and your son shared with each other in decorating. And that you still have so many sweet and unique Christmas tree ornaments and decorations, full of your family memories out. Those are always my favorites!
Merry Christmas and Happy Caregiving Holiday Progressive Blog Party-ing.
H
Bette
Hi G-J,
I think having your son help with the decorating was wonderful. Maybe a new tradition! In the past, I have thought it was essential to continue with the ways we have always done something–more recently I’m trying to trust that new traditions can be strong and sometimes nicer for us. A good thing. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
The Unit Known as Shandi
I’ve been thinking about your post for the past few days. As a result, I’ve scaled back on decorating and haven’t felt any guilt about it. The house still looks nice, but I didn’t put out everything. Thanks for the words of wisdom!
Helene J. Powers
Hi G-J, I just left a long comment to this lovely post but somehow it got lost. Need to leave for an appt–will try to reprise it later.
Thanks!
Helene