I used to be a Christmas Retailer's Dream because I was Forever on a Quest for Ideal Adornments for Christmas Tree Ornamentation and Holiday Theme Decor for Bohemian Valhalla!
Either purchasing new Ornaments or the supplies to Create my own... adding to my Oldest Collection Year by Year.
Not that I purchased a great many all at once, but I could hardly resist at least not being on the lookout for a Select Few that would make the grade and join the others in the Holiday Vault that one room of our Storage Cottage had become.
And certainly I still see some each Year that I'd be Tempted to purchase even to this day! Especially if a few remain after the Holidays and go on Sale at a deep discount! *LOL*
I mean, these Exotic Bird Ornaments for example fairly Scream my Aesthetic, No? *Winks* Yes... I could definitely Envision a Peacock Inspired Christmas Tree in some Future Christmas Theme here at the Ole Homestead!
Lord knows there's no shortage of Peacock Feathers around here already to tuck in amongst the branches.
And when I saw tiny Mardi Gras Mask Ornaments as well... what can I say... I was Captivated by this particular Retail Christmas Tree's Theme! But I Resisted all Temptation to pay Retail prices since my Desire to continue to expand the Christmas Decor has waned in recent years.
Recent Years have found me Editing, Purging, Letting Go of some of the Christmas Collection Stash... and instead of adding to it I've been Upcycling, Recycling and Simplifying Christmas Decorating Year by Year.
Limiting purchases and Holiday Creations to a very Select Few Items that I can usually leave out beyond the Holidays and get more Use out of than just a few weeks in December.
Not that I find it any less Enchanting and Magical than I ever did mind you, in fact as I Age the Joy of Experiencing it each Year seems to Magnify and be Appreciated all the more since I probably have more Past Christmases under my belt than I will Future Christmases to Enjoy, given the Math. *LOL*
Yep, I admit that was the tipping point for me in Collecting Holiday Themed Decor. Sure, I still embark upon the Quest for Ideal Adornments each Year & Inspiration for a new Theme of Styling for the Holidays because it's so much Fun, a Gift to the Spirit & a Visual Feast. But now I'm much more inclined to merely capture it through the Eye of my Lens and use what I already have at Home that remains of my Holiday Stash.
Or Accessorize Favorite Items that I want to incorporate in this Year's Christmas Festivities.
And whereas before, in Years gone by, I ALWAYS hit the Post-Holiday Sales with Mom and my Friends to 'Score' those deeply discounted Holiday Staples like Cards, Gift Wrap and Odornments that might be next Season's Holiday Theme... I rarely bother now unless there was something uber Special somewhere that I Hope might remain after the Holidays?
I'll be the one to to Enjoy it ALL right up to Christmas Day though. The one that Delights in it being put up Early and taken down Late so that I can Absorb the Festive Atmosphere and Spirit of it all!
And it is doubtful I'll ever be one of those Older Folks that no longer feels like putting up a Christmas Tree because everyone has grown up and moved out of the House... well... maybe that's because for us that is a Distant possibility with raising some of the G-Kids?!? *LOL*
But you know what, even if I lived Alone I'd probably still do it all...
Source: Bing Images
Just like the Great Aunt in my Favorite Holiday Storybook "A Cup Of Christmas Tea" by Tom Hegg. I'd like to be Remembered like that in fact. I read that Delightful Book every Christmas and it always brings forth such strong Emotion because my Nanna & Mom were so much like that too. They could have been that Great Aunt in the Book. And if you've never read it, I'll share the Poem:
A Cup of Christmas Tea 
~ By Tom Hegg ~ 
The log was in the fireplace, all spiced and set to burn. ~ By Tom Hegg ~ At last the yearly Christmas race was in the clubhouse turn.
The cards were in the mail, all the gifts beneath the tree
And 30 days reprieve till Visa could catch up with me.
Though smug satisfaction seemed the order of the day,
Something still was nagging me and would not go away.
A week before, I got a letter from my old great Aunt.
It read: "Of course I'll understand completely if you can't,
But if you find you have some time how wonderful if we
Could have a little chat and share a cup of Christmas tea."
She'd had a mild stroke that year which crippled her left side.
Though house bound now my folks had said it hadn't hurt her pride.
They said: "She'd love to see you. What a nice thing it would be
For you to go and maybe have a cup of Christmas tea."
But boy! I didn't want to go. Oh, what a bitter pill
To see an old relation and how far she'd gone downhill.
I remembered her as vigorous, as funny and as bright.
I remembered Christmas Eves when she regaled us half the night.
I didn't want to risk all that. I didn't want the pain.
I didn't need to be depressed. I didn't need the strain.
And what about my brother? Why not him? She's his aunt, too!
I thought I had it justified, but then before I knew
The reasons not to go I so painstakingly had built
Were cracking wide and crumbling in an acid rain of guilt.
I put on boots and gloves and cap, shame stinging every pore
And armed with squeegee, sand and map, I went out my front door.
I drove in from the suburbs to the older part of town
The pastels of the newer homes gave way to gray and brown.
I had that disembodied feeling as the car pulled up
And stopped beside the wooden house
That held the Christmas cup.
How I got up to her door I really couldn't tell . . .
I watched my hand rise up and press the button of the bell.
I waited, aided by my nervous rocking to and fro
And just as I was thinking I should turn around and go
I heard the rattle of the china in the hutch against the wall.
The triple beat of two feet and a crutch came down the hall.
The clicking of the door latch and the sliding of the bolt
And a little swollen struggle popped it open with a jolt.
She stood there pale and tiny, looking fragile as an egg.
I forced myself from staring at the brace that held her leg.
And though her thick bifocals
Seemed to crack and spread her eyes,
Their milky and refracted depths lit up with young surprise.
"Come in!" "Come in!" She laughed the words.
She took me by the hand
And all my fears dissolved away as if by her command.
We went inside and then before I knew how to react
Before my eyes and ears and nose
Was Christmas past . . . alive . . . intact!
The scent of candied oranges, of cinnamon and pine,
The antique wooden soldiers in their military line,
The porcelain Nativity I'd always loved so much,
The Dresden and the crystal I'd been told I mustn't touch.
My spirit fairly bolted like a child out of class
And danced among the ornaments of calico and glass.
Like magic I was six again, deep in a Christmas spell
Steeped in the million memories the boy inside knew well.
And here among old Christmas cards so lovingly displayed
A special place of honor for the ones we kids had made.
And there, beside her rocking chair, the center of it all
My great Aunt stood and said
How nice it was that I had come to call.
I sat and rattled on about the weather and the flu
She listened very patiently then smiled and said, "What's new?"
Thoughts and words began to flow. I started making sense.
I lost the phony breeziness I use when I get tense.
She was still passionately interested in everything I did.
She was positive. Encouraging. Like when I was a kid.
Simple generalities still sent her into fits
She demanded the specifics . . . the particulars . . . the bits.
We talked about the limitations that she'd had to face.
She spoke with utter candor and with humor and good grace.
Then defying the reality of crutch and straightened knee
On wings of hospitality she flew to brew the tea.
I sat alone with feelings that I hadn't felt in years.
I looked around at Christmas through a thick hot blur of tears.
And the candles and the holly she'd arranged on every shelf,
The impossibly good cookies she still somehow baked herself.
But these rich and tactile memories Became quite pale and thin
When measured by the Christmas
My great Aunt kept deep within.
Her body halved and nearly spent, But my great Aunt was whole.
I saw a Christmas miracle, the triumph of a soul.
The triple beat of two feet and a crutch came down the hall.
The rattle of the china in the hutch against the wall.
She poured two cups, she smiled, And then she handed one to me.
And then we settled back and had a cup of Christmas tea.
May you be Reminded this Christmas to take the Time to spend with Loved Ones who embody not only the True Spirit of Christmas to you & extend the Gift of Hospitality, but also those who might long for the Company of Family & Friends, particularly during this Holiday Season, so that they don't feel forgotten or have to spend the Holidays alone.
Merry Christmas from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian