With children grown and gone, and back problems at this stage in life, I decided a few years ago to downsize our Christmas tree. I wondered if doing that would spoil the magic when the kids came to visit for the holiday. Would a much smaller, skirted tabletop tree (easier on my back to decorate) not have as much impact for all of us? Then came the question of what to choose from to decorate a much smaller tree with less available hanging space for ornaments. With a smaller tree I could see the huge number of leftover ornaments we’d collected over the many years. I decided that, at least until a time when I might have grandchildren, I would make the new, smaller tree a more formal tree. Still, I couldn’t fit every last bauble I’d spent years collecting. I had concern that the kids would be upset at not seeing all of their favorite childhood ornaments – including those they had made in school- which we cherished. But my initial guilt subsided when I began playing around with options for using leftover ornaments. Perhaps I could display them elsewhere. The result feels more minimalist, which is easier to put together at this stage of life anyway (also since it seems that nobody is ever around and available to help string lights and hang the low baubles that a fussy back won’t hold up to). And who wants a back flareup over the holiday when demands on you are greatest? It had happened to me before. Anyway, it turned out that the children were fine with the change and appreciate seeing the leftover ornaments in unexpected places around the house. Here is a look at my formal tree, and how I’ve decorated elswhere to make things simpler, and easier:
