Usually, I’d be in a full-blown panic by now.

I mean – it’s only one day until Thanksgiving.

That’s one day, Kids!

Most years, I’d be thinking of how much I must accomplish before Christmas.

You know the drill but I’ll spell it out anyway – just for dramatic effect. 😉

The shopping! The decorating! The Christmas cards! The wrapping! The baking! The cleaning!

The very thought of it would cause my heart to pound!

Oh yeah! Full blown panic by now . . .

But not this year, and I’m not sure why.

For decades now, I’ve been part elf at this time of year, joyfully festooning every inch of the house with holiday glitter. Sir Beads has often joked that I’d tie a red bow on the toilet seat if not talked out of it. 😉

Suddenly this year, however, I sense that I’m entering a new phase in my life… a phase of simplifying traditions.

It’s time to decide what’s important, skip what isn’t, and then savor the small delights of the season. I just don’t want to jump on the holiday merry-go-round this time.

Could it be that I’m finally weary of it all? Hmmm, not exactly. I did have sort of a milestone birthday this year, and Sir Beads retired. Perhaps those experiences have given me reason to stop and reassess.

There’s so much I want to do and only so many hours in a day. It’s time to stop doing things simply because I’ve always done them.

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE Christmas. I’m just going to try an experiment in the next several weeks . . .

I’m going to take it slow and easy – no “must-do lists”, no impossible schedules, no thinking “It wouldn’t be Christmas without ____”.

I want to stop and smell the evergreens . . . for a change.

How about you? Have you simplified the holiday season?

Hugs,