All posts tagged Sara Shay

For years our Christmas boxes kept multiplying   We’d receive gobs of ornaments, handmade items and random penguins, snowmen and other winter themed knick knacks.  It got a little overwhelming.  And when we had more than one kid, changing the house over for Christmas was something I dreaded.

I loved decorating with my mom and brother.  But as I grew older it turned into me doing most of it myself.  I wonder how much of my mom’s retraction from this time was because of feeling overwhelmed by the amount of boxes as well.

Two Christmas’ ago I started paring down our collection.  My criteria was that I wanted, mostly for our children, our surroundings to reflect the “reason for the season”.  The one exception I made was in our ornaments.

1. Have a Scheme in Mind

Decide what is important in for your family and home.  Do you want a specific color scheme.  I went with rich red, purple and silver.  Maybe you are more traditional – red, green and white.  Or love the winter scheme – white, blue and silver.

Do you like nativities, snowmen, Santa’s and reindeer?  A country Christmas or maybe you are in the season of handmade children’s decor.  Whatever it is decide as a family what you want your home to be.  For us it was eliminating all the commercialism and bringing it back the Christ.

2. Keep the Homemade

Children are so proud of what they make.  And we praise them for it!  But it can begin to just collect in a box – and end up getting ruined anyway.  We’ve been keeping and displaying paper crafts for the year of, when we put decorations away I take a picture of it.  Then, known to my daughter, it goes away.

We’ve discussed how much I cherish her hard work and artistry, we’ve also talked about why we can’t keep everything.  She’s become very used to the picture taking and often requests it to be done.

Somethings we keep, period.  A handmade frame with her picture that every class seems to make.  Doily snowflakes ornaments my grandmother made.  The strawberry Christmas tree my husband’s grandmother made when he was a boy.  Those thing of nostalgia, that might not go with everything, but hold great meaning and joy.

3. Purge Twice

Just what it says.  When you unpack your boxes this year, take out the superfluous items you forgot to get rid of last year.  You might find some great re-gifts or re-purposing gifts in there!

I must confess, I do have a keepsake box.  Things that belonged to my husband and I when we were little.  There is no place for them now, but as a child who loved looking through boxes of my parents things, I’m saving these for my children.

4. Collect

Sounds a little odd after the last subject, huh?  In my Christ centered decorating, I decided I wanted to get a new nativity each year.  They range from ones the kids can play with to breakable treasures.  They also range in size, and ornament or a whole shelf of space.

Whatever it is, do limit yourself.  Sometimes collections can get out of control when others start adding to it for you.  So, graciously receive and give to others if needed.  Decide on your limit, is it what will fit in a box, on a shelf or one per year.

5. Create Traditions

What are the things you remember from your childhood?  My brother and I got to pick a new ornament each year.  This necessitated a growing tree over the years, but it was well worth the memories.  This is a tradition we’ve carried on to our kids.

We do an advent count down house, this is our families tradition.  Think about what Christmas legacy you want to leave you children with.  Is it a special party for decorating the tree.  A real tree or pre-lit?  Maybe the day after Thanksgiving everything goes up!

Maybe your family needs to go on Pinterest together and get some inspiration?!?

What do you adore you home with during this time?

I love Thanksgiving.  I love the colors.  I love the weather.  I love the food – not the gorging part, but the roasted part!  My hubby is not so hot on it.

Earlier this year he said he was cancelling Thanksgiving.  Then on Halloween he said he was getting ready to cancel Christmas.  I know it is something we have all heard; the “commercialization” of [insert holiday here], but seriously when it becomes about show – where’s the meaning?

As homemakers, I know we love decorating and beautifying our homes.  I’m all for it!  Creating a comfy, mood invoking environment to go along with the season.  As a mom of three and still working outside the home more than I would like, these seasons can come and go very quickly.

Sometimes to the point of those times we want to be full of meaning, just squashed in to our busy lives.  Thanksgiving, or any other holiday can sneak up on you.  The great thing is that finding meaning doesn’t take a lot of time – just a little intention.

1. What is your Intention?

So, my husband wants to cancel the holidays.  This is in part because, he too, feels like they are being thrust into our lives.  And that is our fault.  We have failed to set in motion traditions for our family.

Decide with your husband, or family, what you want out of the holiday.  Maybe you need a real rest?  Maybe you are up for an exciting adventure?  Whatever it is, take it as it comes and remember to give thanks for the stress or the serenity.

This year we aren’t doing a big extended family lunch.  It’s just going to be the five of us.  We may even end up having Mexican food instead of the traditional dinner.  Yes, we live in So Cal, hubby and daughter are up for Mexican any day of the week.

2. What Traditions do you have?

For myself, I have started the Daily Thanks tradition in November.  I intend to carry it on till next November and start all over again.  The kids and I have also started discussing things we are grateful for on the way home from school – the car is a perfect time for some uninterrupted discussion!

For our family, we have the whole week of Thanksgiving off – well the kids do at least, Papa will be present Thursday and Friday.  Those free days before Thursday we will be crafting quite a bit.

I love the idea of a Thankful Tree.  Whether it is 3-D or a wall mount, or maybe all your busy life can handle this year is a box.  Whatever fits in, however big or small, it will make a difference in your family’s outlook on the holiday.

3. What Memories do you want?

Before we had children, my husband and I dreamed about the traditions we would pass on to our kids.  This is something we constantly have to revisit.  I don’t want our cynicism rubbing off on them.  I desire for them to have a historical and spiritual basis for all our holidays.

But most of all I want them to think back on these times are precious.  Something that inspires them to pass onto my grand kids – wow that sounds weird.  But in all seriousness, they are the biggest part of what we will leave on this earth.

For this year, my children will remember a Sunday dessert afternoon with the big family.  A week of expressing their thanks with their hands, through crafting and cooking.   Sourdough cinnamon rolls on Thanksgiving morning and a cool, crisp (I sure hope its not hot) walk down our favorite path.  Typical So Cal Mexican food for lunch – and maybe Mama will get a mini Thanksgiving dinner in the evening.

Most of all I hope they remember being together and intentionally giving thanks to God for all his has blessed us with – even those messes we will get to clean up!

What are you doing this season to give thanks?