Whenever I feel tempted to stress out over putting up Christmas decorations and feeling some self-imposed pressure to hurry and get them up, I remind myself that Christmas decorations should be a pleasure not a duty. Whenever did it become such a contest and pressure-filled activity as if there is going to be a Decorating Police that is going to check up on me?
Years ago when I was suppose to be one of the hosts for a progressive Christmas Relief Society Social, I wasn't in the mood to hurry and decorate after just getting home from a family vacation and so I decided not to. I thought I would just have this plain, undecorated house and then make everyone feel really good about their decorating abilities. (Now, that is compassionate service!) It was interesting that as soon as I took the pressure off of myself and decided that I didn't HAVE to decorate, I suddenly had a desire to decorate and did it with great pleasure.
There are many of things like this is my life. Activities that should be filled with pleasure and joy, that I turn into some kind of obligation to perform in order to prove myself. Wow, it feels so good to be this old and realize that there isn't much I HAVE to do and that I don't have anything to prove, but that there is a lot I can enjoy. Christmas decorating is one of those things.
2 comments:
It takes me three days to decorate my house and yesterday, I had the same thought to take a breath and enjoy!
Thanks Lisa, it's nice to know I am not the only one that sometimes thinks the way I do.
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