No Decorations on My Tree This Year

“Less is more.”

– Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

So…I was on the phone the other day, having a long-overdue chat with a dear friend. I also happened to be lying on my couch with a cup of tea, staring at my Christmas tree. In terms of decorating it, I had only got as far as putting on the lights. But the longer I looked at the tree, the more I liked it…just as it was.

Now, it might have been the mammoth pile of boxes filled with Christmas decorations that were sitting on my kitchen table, causing me to feel a tad overwhelmed at the enormity of the decorating task ahead – and kinda dreading it, truth be told.

But who hauls out all their Christmas decorations…and then doesn’t put them out?

Me.

But first I ran the idea by the person I was on the phone with.

“Is it okay to not put any decorations on my Christmas tree this year?” I asked my friend. “I’m not really feeling it. I kinda like it with just the lights on.”

“Absolutely! It is a-okay not to decorate your damn tree! You can do whatever you want.”

She was right. So that’s exactly what I did. After our chat, I quickly pulled a few of my favourite decorations of the boxes…not ornaments for the tree (except for the angel) but other stuff to put around my home. Then I put all the boxes back into the garage – feeling lighter by the load – and proceeded to decorate my home for Christmas in about ten minutes (versus the three hours it normally takes me).

Then I poured a glass of wine, sat back down again on my couch…and thoroughly enjoyed looking at the pretty lights on my elegantly simple, au-naturel Christmas tree.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.”

– Leonardo da Vinci

Which is when it occurred to me that I had, in fact, just made a very wise practical decision, as well. For my Christmas visitor this season will be a furry four-legged friend who goes by the name of Luffy. He is 9-month-old lab/retriever cross…so that big tail of his is gonna be a-waggin’ all over the place! Good thing there won’t be any fancy decorations on the tree that could easily get knocked off 😊

Funny how our soul knows the right decision to make…before we do.

Maryanne Pope is the author of “A Widow’s Awakening.” She also writes screenplays, playscripts & blogs. Maryanne is the CEO of Pink Gazelle Productions and Co-Founder of the John Petropoulos Memorial Fund. To receive her blog, “Weekly Words of Wisdom,” please subscribe here. And be sure to visit our PinkGazelleCards Etsy shop.