The Apples in My Orchard

It’s not even December yet, and my tree is up and decorated! I am impressed with myself, can’t you tell? For a lot of reasons, I’ve never decorated this early. My husband has a mid-December birthday and I usually aim for having the house decorated by then. The tree usually stays up until just past the epiphany, on January 6th.

But, this fall has been far from normal for our family. So, why should my decorating conform to what I’ve normally done? I asked myself this question. Last year, I struggled to get things decorated. For the last two years, we’ve put our tree in our finished basement due to having a labrador puppy and not knowing how she’d react to the sparklingly draw of the ornaments and lights. But, this year it was time to move the tree back to where it belonged – in the livingroom – front and center!

The day after Thanksgiving I dragged out our large, pre-lit, artificial tree and the ornaments for it. I am organized when I put things away so luckily, getting holiday decorations out is just a matter of looking at the labels on the totes. Over the last three days, I decorated the tree. Slowly. When I was tired or frustrated, I took a break and sometimes the break meant that I was done for the day! It looks nice back in the spot where it belongs and the dog has left it entirely alone. She’s a good doggo!

Now, I can move on to the mantel, knicknacks, stockings, and perhaps another small tree downstairs where we watch TV in the evening. Usually, all those decorations are brought out and put up first, before the tree is put up and decorated. But, as I said, this year is anything but normal.

I have my first packages wrapped and ready to be mailed as well! This is also very early for me! I guess I am dealving into the joy of the season. The holidays can be stressful. And, truth be told, I always feel overwhelmed instead of enjoying the moments. So, this year I am embracing the not-so-normalness and relishing the joy the season can bring. We all need joy in our lives, no matter what holiday you celebrate or how early or late you decorate.

In the book, JOY in Every Moment by Tzivia Gover (2015), she shares many exercises for sharing joy with others. In one, Gesundheit, she states,

“Good moods spread like the flu. So don’t hide your joy. Let someone know who happy you feel today, and wish the same for him. Let your joy go viral.” – Tzivia Gover, page 171, 2015.

Decorate now or decorate later or don’t decorate at all. Just share your joy with others!

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