The decorating blitz has begun. Well, truth be told I started a couple of weeks ago, which is earlier than normal for me. The plan was to have everything done by Thanksgiving so I could sit back and relax after filling up on turkey and dressing. Unfortunately, my efforts failed.

I let other things like work and laundry get in the way. So, the decorating continues.

I will have to say, however, that since I did get a bit of a jump on my usual decorating schedule – the day after Thanksgiving – I have made some Christmas-altering decisions.

Instead of hanging every piece of garland or pulling out each and every Santa, I am going to be more discerning and less cluttering.

For more than 40 years I have amassed quite a treasure trove of Christmas decorations and when I pull out all my pretties, it’s like reuniting with old friends.

It was this nostalgia that through the years persuaded me to find a place where each could shine.

But this year, I have decided to make a change.

It seems 2023 has been the year of change for me, so I thought “why not add one more?”

Therefore, some of my plethora of decorations will remain in my Christmas boxes.

I will admit, it is a challenge, but I am determined to use self-control and to just say “No, I am not decorating with you this year.”

In sharing my feelings with my sister-in-law as to how I felt about not using all my decorations, she shared with me a practice she uses.

She taps some decorations one year and when the next rolls around others are trotted out for display.

When I thought about this notion, it seemed like a pretty good idea since in essence, it would make Christmas decorating fun and fresh each year.

I feel good about embracing this concept of Christmas decorating. I just wish my new self-imposed deadline for adorning the house had worked out.

However, it’s probably better it didn’t. After filling up on Thanksgiving fare, climbing up and down on the ladder festooning the tree will certainly burn some calories.