Let's Dwell

“It’s the most wonderful time of the year . . .”

Until it gets out of hand, right?

If you’re a creative person, this season holds a wonderland of opportunities to let out that innovation: gift giving, wrapping, unique ways to celebrate, and, of course, decorating. Let imagination explode! (Think: Flint Lockwood’s “Party-in-a-Box” from Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.) However, the Achille’s heel of a creative person is limits. You must know when to reign in the quantity and quality of your ideas before you’re drowning in them.

In this series, we take a look at three different approaches to decorating that are mindful of limits, so you have room to truly enjoy this blessed time of year.

Tip #1: Pick Three

Pick three main areas on which to focus all your merry magic. Go as crazy as you want to on those, but then, call that enough! (Or, at least, approach everything else with minimal effort.)

Common areas of focus are the tree (obvs.), the front door, the mantle, a table centerpiece, an entryway, a shelf, buffet, or credenza, etc.

Ask yourself which areas are natural focal points in your home? Which areas will you spend the most time in? Or, where will you spend most of your significant moments? (ie. spending time with family, putting your feet up and allowing yourself a moment to relax, etc.)

These are the areas that deserve your time and energy. Sometimes, sanity (health, season of life, children, etc!) requires letting go of the less significant opportunities to have any energy or time for the important ones. It’s OKAY–sometimes wise–to NOT pull out every decoration you own and go “ELF” all over every room in the house.

If this approach is just entirely too strict for you, try a modification of this principle of three:

*Rotate your decorations from year to year. Maybe you pull out that elaborate Christmas card display one year and the next, those cards land in a simple stack so you have the room and energy to enjoy that angel collection.

*Maybe the tree and fireplace/stockings are your two staple areas and the last area changes from year to year, allowing you explore new projects.

*Pick three areas on which to concentrate your creative magic, and delegate the rest. But mind your expectations of those delegates, or your “ELF” will quickly turn “Scrooge!”

*Perhaps you let the tree be a “given” and pick three other areas on which to concentrate.

I heard some of you say, “But, I do it for the kids!”

No you don’t–at least not entirely. My kids are old enough for me to say with confidence that the bulk of their happy Christmas memories will be simple things: that mug of hot chocolate by the fire, snuggled up for favorite Christmas stories, and mostly, a relaxed, present, YOU.

So, if you have the time and energy to deck every hall, more power to ya. For the rest of us, being choosy is our best chance to foster merry, without killing the season with unrealistic expectations.

Click here for Tip #2

Photo Credits from left to right: Angelina Jollivet, Kristopher Roller, Luke Southern, Arun Kuchibhotla, (mine), (mine), Oana Craciun, and Chuttersnap –all from Unsplash.com

Seasonal Inspiration

Simple Christmas Decorating: Tip #3

December 7, 2019December 11, 2019 admin

Somewhere between the endless Pintrest ideas, the calendar limits of this time, and the real magic of the season, us creative types give ourselves permission to go a little crazy. “It won’t be out all year, so it’s OK to lay it on thick, right?”

It’s a recipe for madness . . . in more ways than you might realize.

Environment is incredibly powerful. Brain scans reveal how different surroundings affect us—the positive and the negative. If someone living in your home is an introvert, has ADD, or is under significant stress (just a few examples), their brains are even more sensitive to excess sights and sounds.

What does that have to do with Christmas decorating?

It suggests that for all that we add to our homes and work places for Christmas, we might need to also remove some things.

Tip #3: Take Something Away

Maintaining this visual balance keeps our environments from becoming overwhelmed with visual stimuli.

Initially, this means the obvious: removing the everyday decor that is living in the spot your holiday decor replaces–ie. a table’s usual centerpiece is removed for a Christmas one or a chair is relocated to another room so the Christmas tree has a spot to land. (I put displaced items in the holiday boxes I’ve just unloaded. They’re out of the way but ready for reinstatement at the end of the season.)

A step further increases the impact: remove a few things that are now visually or functionally “extra” with your added holiday decor. This year, I removed a few pictures, some floral arrangements, and general “tchotchkes” for visual breathing room. This steps removes distraction and the “more–ness” of it all so that your Christmas elements have room to shine.

If you’re creative, you’re mantra (acknowledged or not) is often “More is more!” While that’s true in a few areas (friends, health, money?), when it comes to things that go “Blinky, blinky!” and “Look at me!” the old adage wins out:

Seasonal Inspiration

Meaningful Thanksgiving Activities

November 19, 2019November 8, 2023 admin

That won’t scare away your guests!

Oh, Thanksgiving—quickly becoming the speed bump holiday before Christmas. But we still need you!

How fitting that we focus on gratitude as the year draws to a close (and looming Christmas lists threaten even the most-balanced person’s sanity).

Gratitude requires some intention to draw it out; it requires purpose, planning, and preparation. However, it’s tricky to present people with something meaningful, without it feeling forced. So, I’ve gathered four activities that are simple to prepare and easy to engage in. Check out my YouTube video for details.

Meaningful Thanksgiving Activities (That won’t scare off your guests!)

Caution: Consider one, or, at the most, two possibilities. Your guests shouldn’t feel held hostage by your plan. Evoking gratitude in others is about presenting the opportunity and then leading the way, which means some flexibility and “holding loosely” is important. I speak from hard-won experience!

And while we’re talking about thanks—Thank You for reading and watching!