My "Decorating the House for Christmas" Epiphany

On Saturday as I was starting to finish my mess of a decorating my home for Christmas (as well as for my youngest son and his (soon-to-be) wife's Open House to be held right after Christmas, I was feeling rather stressed.  I wanted everything to look perfect, and I was doing it differently this year-changing up some of the color schemes in the living and dining/family room (which added to my stress). 

As I was starting the process that I knew I wanted to finish (at least finish with getting things out that I had before I bought new items).   I put on Christmas music; I love the feeling it gives me.  I don't remember what song was playing, but when I was listening to the words I realized the reason I was decorating.  I wasn't decorating to please everyone else, I was decorating my home to evoke a festive and wonderful feeling of Christmas, the true spirit of Christmas.  I was decorating in praise to my Savior. 

I know that sounds a little strange, but really, I want my home to reflect and allow His spirit to dwell here.  Just that reminder of why I was really decorating gave me such a feeling of joy and the stress just kind of melted away.  I lost the pressure I was putting on myself to make my home perfect for others, and instead pursued the goal of making it perfect for us, and when I say perfect, I don't mean perfection in looks, but more a perfectness in the feeling. 

 It's still a work in progress, but now that I've gotten most everything out, I can now tweak the wreaths and figure out how many candles I need and just have some fun with it.  (and most of the boxes are put back up in the attic to retrieve sometime in January)

 My decorating epiphany reminded me of the whole reason for everything we do at Christmastime; to honor the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and to bring his love and joy to others, whether through gifts or service.  I love this time of the year!