November 29, 2022
I’m ready for Advent now, but Friday morning as I defrocked the house of its fall look, I wasn’t so sure. Our grandson had retrieved all the Christmas bins from the storage area underneath the snug, and they waited for me in the lower level bedroom. EEEK!
When I read a novel, setting and characters are more important for my reading pleasure than plot, and that is true for me in my day-to-day life as well. Creating an interesting and creative setting that inspires reflection and growth, as well as an atmosphere for connection with others has always been a priority for me. That is especially true at this time of the year.
I confess that this year the process felt daunting to me. I wondered if this was the year I would say “been there, done that” and limit myself and decide to be a convert to Christmas Minimalism. (Is that a thing?)
Once I opened the bins, however, and became reacquainted with reminders of Christmases past, I was on my way, and the house is now alive with a Christmas glow.
The setting welcomes me into Advent reflection –this time of waiting and promise and finding the light in the darkness. The setting creates a space for the birth that needs to be revisited over and over again. The setting is a threshold for whatever unfolds. The setting asks me to open to what most needs to be discovered and honored, as well as the ways I need to challenge myself.
I am ready.
An Invitation
How do you prepare for this new season? I would love to know.
An Aside:
Not only did I prepare the house for Advent, but I also continued the ongoing process of decluttering. I packed up one bin of fall decorations and two bins of Christmas decorations ready for our annual spring/summer garage sale. I suspect when I pack up the Christmas decorations after Epiphany, I will add more to the “ready to let go” piles. How good that feels!
NOTE:
My post on Thursday, December 1 will include a list of my favorite novels of 2022. On Thursday, December 8 I will list my favorite nonfiction books of 2022.
Living on Life's Labyrinth 
Last evening, after dinner clean up at our daughter’s including taking the garbage, recycling and compost bins to the curb. Our son-in-law reminded our 3 year old granddaughter, that the Halloween and Thanksgiving season is over and “we need to put all the pumpkins into the compost bin”. This was an event she had express vigorous reluctance for because of the excitement and glee associated with a family feast, costumes and treats. As her dad picked up each of the pumpkins that had been gathered at the front doorstep, he paused and said to our little one, say good bye to “Daddy’s pumpkin,” “Mommy”s,” naming each one for each family member, the one from school, the white ones decorating the Thanksgiving table and others. Our granddaughter standing in the darkness with her eyes intently focused, waved to each one and said “good-bye”. As her dad wheeled the bin to the curb, she closed the door, turned and said, “Christmas is coming soon.”
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This is so perfect. A parable. Endings make way for beginnings. Thank you for sharing.
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This year I have decided not to do a tree. Instead, I am choosing to use lights, the 3 Swedish candelabras in windows facing the street. It was a pleasure to light them today as the snow began to fall. The Swedish folks have these candelabras in many of their windows lit dusk (3 pm to dawn(10 a.m.), a lovely warm glow !
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What a lovely idea. Your candelabra are a sign of darkness giving birth to light.
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We chose to get a much smaller Christmas tree this year–5’10 ” instead of 7′ or 8′. Rather than being disappointed with the smaller Fraser spruce under our 10′ ceiling (as we expected), we REALLY like our little tree and plan not to go back bigger any more. A bonus is that we also will have some excess to share. We plan to give some of our excess ornaments to the asylum seeking family living in Room 99 at Gloria Dei. Don’t know if other ornaments would work for the Bruce Agneberg garage sale — but, if so, we would love to contribute some.
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Sometimes one small change (A couple feet in your case) makes a real difference. We located our tree in the snug this year, instead of the entryway and love the change. You’ll have to check with the garage sale master about things for his spring sale. (I try to stay out of the way!)
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Wow, you certainly crossed the threshold in a short amount of time! Your home looks lovely, inviting, and ready for Advent reflection. I love the phrase “Christmas minimalism.” Each year I hope to achieve that, but I open the packed boxes, and memories spill out. Thanks for the post!
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Some thresholds are definitely easier to cross than others –and sometimes all that is involved is opening a bin!
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Thank you for sharing 😊
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