Every Christmas of my life has been special.

I’ve had different homes and different styles,

I’ve entertained lots of people with fabulous food and parties.

I’ve spent days and weeks searching for and wrapping the perfect gift.

I’ve had Christmas Trees decorated with Parisian ornaments,

Victorian Ornaments,

Paper White and Garden motif ornaments.

Pick a style….

Over the years I’ve had a tree and a house decorated in every one of those styles.

But, 10 years ago something happened.

We moved to the country (the mountains, really)

Slowly, over the years, my home ( and I ) have undergone a radical transformation,

especially during the Holidays.

My design motto was always: “More is More”.

Somehow, over time, I’ve adopted the philosophy that

“Less is Even Better”.

I love decorating for the Holidays,

but now I walk into the woods behind my house

and gather spruce, cedar, pine cones, mosses, branches and berries.

I put them wherever I can throughout the house.

I still go the Garden Store and buy Paper White Bulbs

because I love the look of flowers at Christmas and

they reassure me that Spring really is coming, someday!

Each year I usually find  a sad, little “Charlie Brown Tree”

and make ornaments  to feed the birds.

Then, I put the little tree on my front porch

and watch them feast on the seeds, nuts and fruit.

At that moment,

they are deliriously happy

 they decided to stay with us during the Winter Months.

They flutter about and dive on the food, then fly away and come back

to jockey for a better position.

They’re so much fun to watch.

I  love filling the house with candles,

decorating the mantle,

and locating all my wooden boxes and silver bowls to fill

with my  pomander balls, moss, berries and other

“treasures” from the forest.

I prop up my Nana’s old wooden sled ( from 1895) on the fireplace hearth,

,

 put my tartan plaid throws on the furniture,

 light a fire and curl up on the sofa with my beloved dogs.

Maybe this year I will send Christmas cards…. or maybe I won’t.

If I do, it won’t be the PERFECT card….

That sort of thing just doesn’t seem important anymore.

What is important to me

is looking out my windows at the birds, the trees, the mountain and the sky

and  realizing  there is no other place on earth I would rather be-

on Christmas or any other day of the year.

 I find myself being grateful for the gift of every moment of my life here,

in this beautiful place,

on this beautiful planet.

I wish the same for you.

God Bless Us, Every One!