Day 20: Decorations

I'm writing Ann Dee Ellis' 8 Minute Memoirs in place of #NaNoWriMo.

Decorations are beautiful. They set a literal stage--a backdrop against which we can act out our most delicious holiday plays. My paternal grandmother has boxes upon boxes full of decorations which she switches out for every major holiday and every season. While I do think that's a lot of stuff to have to manage, there is an admirable quality to those who decorate their homes for special celebrations.

My own decorative efforts have been awfully pathetic. Our first Christmas together, we came across a small, sweet, sort of sad Charlie Brown tree, which we used for our first 5 Christmases together. Eventually we decided that one string of lights and a fake tree made to imitate the saddest tree in pop culture history were not enough. We bought a 6-foot tall fake tree instead and now I roll my eyes every year as we take it out and fluff it to a decent tree-looking type of centerpiece of our holiday season. I tend to put it out mid-December and then take it down after about 3 weeks of it sitting in a corner, begging us to remember to plug in its single strand of lights every night.

Halloween has always been my favorite holiday, but decorations for it are hard to find in our home. I haven't carved a pumpkin in years either; I'm not a fan of the grizzly dissection process.

Fortunately, I live in a beautiful city with some of the most beautiful decorations in the world. Temple Square's lights, nativities, and bustling tourists make me feel closer to the spirit of the holidays than my own living room does.

I don't think decorations are by any means necessary an integral part of enjoying holidays. For me, the best parts of the holidays are the hot chocolate, holiday movies, and snuggling up to my husband in a giant blanket, and I don't need any lights up to remind me of that.