Bah humbug?

If you were to come to our house right now, you might think that we don't celebrate Christmas. That is, if you measure the celebration of Christmas by the amount of decorations on/in the house.

This year, we don't have any exterior decorations. (Have we ever? Maybe a paper wreath or two...)

We do not have any interior decorations. Not even a tree (second year of no-tree-having).

In fact, the plastic tub of decorations is still in the attic. So, we don't even have stockings out.

Some years, I cut out snowflakes and hang them on the windows. I made a fleeting effort this year and was thwarted by a toddler who wanted to use the scissors to make her own "snowflakes".

There have been a few moments when I felt like I *should* have something festive out, particularly since I love Christmas decorations, but honestly, it's just not worth it this year, not with a child who pulls tablecloths off of tables (Elsie) and a child who shreds anything made out of paper or paper-like materials (Oscar). And I don't even want to think about the monumental effort that would be required to keep the ornaments on the tree with the two of them running around.

And then there's the expense of decorating. A tree costs money. Lights on a house and on a tree cost money in addition to the regular electric bill (though LED lights are less-costly). And if you have stockings, you need stocking stuffers--that cost money. We still have a bag of nuts from last year's stockings somewhere, so I guess we could recycle. Ha.

Some day, I will have wreaths to hang on my exterior windows. Some day, I will have beautiful winter linens for the tables (when I don't have a little magician around). Some day, my house will be beautifully decorated for Christmas, Southern-Living style, with a white cake under a dome waiting to be eaten.

Some day. But not today.

Not this year.

This year, we'll enjoy other people's decorations and trees.

And this year we'll celebrate the birth of Christ Jesus with the minimalism (albeit, American minimalism) that greeted our Savior those millenia ago.

Cheers.