Can they be lovely? Of course.
Can they be elaborate? Can they be simple? Definitely, whatever your taste.
Can they be overwhelming? Sure, if that’s how you like it.
Can they be nonexistent? It’s your December.
Can they be more than decorative elements? Yes! I think they can.
While putting our decorations up, I noticed an interesting thread. Most of what I put up had an obvious, uplifting, and sweet reason for being there.
The snowman on our steps was my grandmother’s. We were close and she died almost 10 years ago from pancreatic cancer. We once tried to count all the snowmen in her home and became tired before we passed 50. Christmas was a joyous season for her, and I love that I have a few of her favorite things to decorate our home with.
Prints and scripts that prompt our hearts to worship and admire God. (And drawings from good friends’ kids. The best.)
The mantle, with its reminder to adore Jesus, the crux and center of Christmas, and say ‘thanks’ for family. A gold cross and word ‘joy,’ and pretty deer… let heaven and nature sing. This is nerdy, but I have always thought the mantle one of the most intriguing and telling places in a home. My eyes always land there, and I smile.
The Willow Tree nativity that my husband, parents, and grandparents gave me two years ago. I confess I never packed up the figures last Christmas, but never regretted it. It inspired many a reflection on the story in Luke 2, and our Christmas Hope.
The felt letter board, because I’m a lover of words. It’s new this year, and I’m excited to update it with lyrics, laughter, and Truth to ponder.
Christmas decorations can be more than just pretty and festive! They can be a reason to tell a meaningful or funny story. They can spark a memory. They can encourage thanksgiving to God.
What do you think?
Let’s choose well this December — thoughtfully about our homes, intentionally about how we spend our time, and compassionately when it comes to people.
I heard something recently that convicted and recharged me:
Hospitality is when someone leaves your home feeling better about themselves, not better about you.
I would even amend that statement to say, true hospitality is when someone leaves your home having experienced the love of God, even in the smallest of ways.
I want the beauty in our Christmas decorations to point us to the beauty of Christ.
I hope those who enter our home walk out with a little more peace and smile in their souls than when they arrived.
I compltely agree. There are so many decorations that you can buy, but the only ones I want to focus on are the ones that have been handed down to me by my family or given to me by someone special. I don’t want to go out and buy a bunch of decorations that don’t mean anything to me. My favorite decoration is our tree, because we have collected ornaments throughout the year from our travels and the places we’ve lived. It’s like going down memory lane every year!
Well said. Will try harder this year to inspire instead of impress.
Well said, friend.