The Spirit of December

It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~ W.T. Ellis

I did something new this year.

Let me start by saying that I have always waited until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas. I like to let each of these special holidays have their own space and atmosphere, and I also enjoy having the time between them to mentally switch gears. But when Thanksgiving falls at the end of the month (like it did again this year) that transition time gets compressed into just a few days.

In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving this year I was already starting to feel stressed. Last year I felt like I was racing the clock trying to get everything done by the end of the long weekend, and before December even started I was feeling exhausted and overwhelmed. Which is the exact opposite of Christmas spirit.

But then I had a thought….”What if we decorated before Thanksgiving?” Sure it’s a little unconventional (at least in our family), but it would give me a little more time and space. And I could already sense myself feeling lighter and less stressed about. So I asked Tripp and he was all for it. And so that’s what we did. We celebrated Thanksgiving with the Christmas tree up in the living room.

And honestly, I loved the extra bit of sparkle and magic the tree added to our Thanksgiving dinner.

Now I realize that this might not sound like a big deal to you, but breaking free from a tradition (albeit one that is completely self-imposed) to make my life a little easier felt positively revolutionary for me. And this openess and freedom and lightness is the spirit I hope to carry with me throught the month of December.

So consider this your permission slip if you are looking to change things up a bit or try something new for the holidays. Let your heart lead you and that’s where you’ll find your Christmas spirit.

Love, Kelly