Tip #5-Banish the Scooge...Decorate!

This one may be more for me. Everytime we have moved, which has been 8 times in 15 1/2 years, I have to reinvent my decorating. Each house and space is different and sometimes things don't work in the new space like they did in the old. Once we moved to this house my umph to decorate flew south and honestly has yet to return. I have a bit of a love/hate thing going on with our house. If I could live in the kitchen I would. The rest of it...not so thrilling. I have finally decided that life is too short to live in a house you don't like so slowly we are tackling the rooms I have issue with. We are 95% complete on the boys bathroom spruce up. A little bit of paint goes a long way.

It has all spilled over into Christmas decorating and my attitude has been rather Scroogish. I am aiming to improve things this year. Why?? Because...

...I love to watch the boys unpack "their" box of ornaments. I give them an ornament each year and when they are grown they will have a start to their own decorating.
...I love the memories that come to mind when I place certain ornaments on the tree
...We have the most precious nativity set, given to us when we left Parkminster Pres in 2001. It is one of the best gifts we have ever been given. The woman who selected it has since passed away but every year when I set it up I am reminded of her, the church and the ministry that took place there. Even though decorating has been sparser the last 2 years, that set always made it out of the box!
...we laugh about the time our tree lost all its needles the day after we bought it or the time the tree fell over, scattering ornaments everywhere just before people came for our open house.
...we enjoy family togetherness when we put up the tree, hopefully creating new memories

We purchased a nativity set early on in our marriage. One way we help the boys anticipate the birth of Jesus is by stashing the baby Jesus figurine away until the 25th. The empty manger is a reminder of what is to come. We have never done the birthday cake for Jesus thing but that is another great way to celebrate. These are just a couple of ways to help younger children grasp that Christmas isn't just about presents. Rather that it is about the greatest gift, the "presence" of Jesus in our lives.

So, put on that Christmas CD, heat up some hot chocolate and scatter some decorating joy around your house. Enjoy recalling memories from years past. Be reminded about how richly you are blessed. Make new memories as you go. Weave those threads into a meaningful tapestry this Christmas.