Caregiver Blessings | A Beautiful Day Decorating My Christmas Tree
Every once in a while I must stop and count my blessings. For me it is easy to get caught up in my daily routine, and I simply forget to be grateful. I forget about the beautiful blessings in my life and the blessings all around me. So today I am choosing to be grateful, and I will enjoy the beautiful day while decorating my Christmas tree for the holiday.
I find decorating my Christmas tree to be one of the most powerful mindful activities of the season. Remembering moments in my life as I unfold each ornament and hang it on the tree.
However tempting it may be to mindlessly put up the tree as just another item on your To Do list. This year, may I suggest we make decorating the Christmas tree a mindful, shall I say even spiritual, activity.
A Grateful Awakening
As we hustle about our day, being present and grateful can sometimes elude us. Lately I have been trying to make it a habit to be thankful for all of my blessings the minute I wake up and open my eyes. I try to make it the very first thought of the day.
This has actually helped me tremendously. My thinking has gone from a ‘glass half empty’ thought process to a more ‘glass half full’ way of thinking. And because of this I wake up more upbeat, positive and ready for the day.
When I am grateful for ALL of my life, the good and the bad, I am accepting. Believing. Trusting. Trusting my life is as it should be. And this trusting is what sets me free.
When I am grateful for ALL of my life, I am accepting. Believing. Trusting. This trusting is what sets me free.
Decorating My Christmas Tree – Mindful Therapy
Decorating a Christmas tree can be quite therapeutic. It can be a time to pause and reminisce about the past, think about your present situation, and maybe even dream about the future.
Decorating my Christmas tree allows me to stop and take a moment to be grateful for all of the blessing in my life. I call this mindful therapy.
As I once again pull out those Christmas decoration and ornament boxes, dust them off and bring them into the house, my excitement and nostalgia mount.
Unwrapping each and every ornament, looking at the dates, and thinking about when and where the ornaments were purchased always brings a smile to my face. The unwrapping alone could take over an hour but I don’t mind. I make sure to set aside a good amount of time to enjoy the process without interruption.
5 Mindful Practices When Decorating My Christmas Tree
Everyone has their own traditions when it comes to decorating. Here are my 5 favorite mindful practices when I am decorating my own Christmas tree.
1. No disturbances
First, when I am decorating my Christmas tree, it is very important that I do not have any disturbances. I really want to set the mood and tone of a peaceful, mindful moment in time.
Christmas tree decorating comes around only one time per year. So I really try to make it special and without interruptions. This means I turn off my phone, or at least put it on Do Not Disturb.
2. No Rushing
Make sure to carve out plenty of time when you are decorating your Christmas tree. The quickest way to break mindful presence is to rush to get the tree done because you have something to do or somewhere to go.
When I am getting ready to decorate my Christmas tree, I make sure to keep at least a half day open so that I can really take my time and savor every part of the process.
And when I am going through the Christmas tree decorating process of unwrapping and hanging the ornaments, I also make sure to take my time. I look at each and every ornament, savor the memories that go with it, and I find the perfect place to hang each ornament on the tree.
It may sound daunting but I promise, if you take your time, you will get into that mindful presence and enjoy the experience.
3. Lighting
To set the mood for decorating, lighting is very important. If I am decorating my tree during the day then I open all of the window blinds to let the sunshine in.
If I am decorating on a rainy day or in the evening, then I make a fire in the fireplace, and set the lighting to a low and romantic glow.
Whatever time of day you decide to decorate your tree, lighting makes a difference. So think about your mood and what kind of lighting will appease you.
4. Music
Next I put on my favorite Christmas playlist.
Over the years I have saved a lot of my favorite Christmas songs from when I was young. Even some songs from when I was a little girl.
This special playlist never gets listened to until I am putting up my Christmas tree. That way it always remains special.
5. Favorite beverage
Before you get deep into the Christmas tree decorating process, you will want to make a favorite holiday beverage.
For me, depending on when I am decorating my tree, it will be either a special coffee during the day, or something fuzzy and bubbly in the evening like a sparkling flavored juice or water.
Rarely, but sometimes, if I am decorating my Christmas tree in the evening or after dinner, I will have a glass of wine or digestif.
Decorating My Christmas Tree Fun
There are a couple Christmas tree decorating ideas that I don’t do every year but I find them to be fun and with a childlike kind of whimsy.
One is putting candy canes on the tree – a bunch of them! In my family, when I was a little girl, my mother would buy a lot of the individually wrapped small candy canes to put on the tree. This was always the final step, and it would brighten up any crooked, uneven, gap spaced tree.
When the season was over, and it was time to take the tree down, my siblings and I would save all of the candy canes and practically make ourselves sick eating more than we should.
And finally, sometimes we would put a train track with a motorized train running around the base of our tree. This too was a beautiful childlike Christmas touch. My mother had a gorgeous train set we would put up. Some of the cars held Christmas candy and small presents. My brothers and I would sit for hours watching that train go around and around…
I hope you find your childlike whimsy this holiday season, and take the time to mindfully decorate your Christmas tree. Or at the very least be grateful for each and every blessing bestowed upon you.
Blessings to you, and happy holidays one and all.
check out these other posts for healthy recipes and great gift giving ideas for busy care partners
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FREE Holiday Recipe Guide
Looking for some delicious healthier treats this holiday season? Check out these recipes. Quick and easy because that’s what I am all about, 100% plant-based, great for the family or even as a housewarming gift for holiday parties.
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VIDEO: Enjoy this beautiful video of A Blessed Day Decorating My Christmas Tree.
What a wonderful video, Dawn; thank you so much for sharing it with us. I feel the same way about my tree… Every year it’s a truly spiritual and emotional experience unwrapping my ornaments from all over the world and treasuring again so many decades of memories. And now my collection includes some of my Mom’s precious ornaments since she passed away a few years ago.
I love my tree every moment that it’s up, and can spend hours just enjoying its beauty. It’s always a very sad day when I have to take it down, carefully rewrap each ornament, and put them away until next year. ❤️
Oh what a beautiful message. Thank you for sharing that with me!xx