By G. E. Shuman
I think
that the only time I enjoy the dark and cold of this time of the year is in the
evening, as Christmas approaches. I
enjoy the ‘feel’ of our old home, as it battles the cold and shields us from
everything outside. I like the warmth of an occasional fire in the fireplace, the
glow of candles, and the lights of the Christmas tree.
Lorna
and I decided, months ago, to do what we could to simplify this best holiday of
all, in our home this year. Presents
have been intentionally trimmed back, therefore so has the stress of
shopping. Our decorating has been
lessened, as has the time and trouble of all of that. Likewise, the ‘undecorating
of the week after the holiday should also be less painful than usual. Even our
tree is much smaller than those of “Christmas’s past” in the Shuman household. (Who knows, maybe a small tree would make the
fewer, smaller gifts look bigger, if that had been the goal, which it was not.)
I
mentioned in my last column our attempts at returning to a Christmas
celebration of simpler times. Our past
few Christmas trees have been adorned with simple ornaments and strings of
popcorn, as were those of many years ago.
This year we have even attempted, with mixed success, to find ‘old
fashioned’ gift wrap, and did find an antique-looking smaller treetop star for
our little tree. (As someone slowly
recovering from many years in the overdone Christmas’s of the retail world,
these steps toward the simplification of our Christmas celebration just seem
right to me.)
The
weekend after Christmas our extended family, with our kids and their families,
will gather together for a huge holiday meal, and that is always a wonderful
time for us. Because of this, I would like to keep our actual Christmas Day dinner
on the simpler side, as with the rest of the day. My vote is for a ham in the
oven and a crockpot full of veggies, on that day. To me, in the case of possessions,
celebrations, and even in the planning of meals, less is often more.
Yes,
this year our family’s Christmas Day will probably be simpler and less exciting
than some in years past. To me, that’s okay, and even comforting, somehow. Christmas Eve, especially, will be peaceful
at our house, lit by candles and a twinkling tree star, and warmed by thoughts of
the true meaning and miracle of what is to come… sort of like on that very
first Christmas Eve, long ago.
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