Bah Humbug

After being away from home for 11 days, I'm back at home and realizing that we are now 'officially' in the Christmas season. I know that it starts earlier and earlier each year in the world around us, but I have always resisted pulling down my boxes of decorations and popping my Christmas CDs in the stereo until the day after Thanksgiving. Instead of shopping with the insane masses, I stay home and get myself in the Christmas spirit. Obviously, this year we weren't home on the day after Thanksgiving, so now that I am home I'm contemplating when and how I'm going to go about this Christmas business...

I've been asking myself for the last few days: "What is the minimum I can get away with in decorating without feeling like I am cheating my family of Christmas spirit or adding my name to a list with the likes of Ebenezer Scrooge?" I'm trying to figure out if it's just my exhaustion talking after our travels, or if I just want to focus the energy that I do have on more important things... like baking cookies. Or perhaps it's the fact that with an extra little person in our home this year, and all the gear that comes with having a baby around, I can't seem to imagine where in the world we would put a WHOLE tree! Wouldn't a nice garland around the fireplace and hanging stockings be enough?

My next question has been: "Do I really have to go shopping in the holiday madness?" Each year I resolve to have my Christmas shopping DONE before the 1st of December, but that has yet to happen. Don't get me wrong -- I love to shop for other people and to give them something unique or practical that they wouldn't get for themselves. But again, who wouldn't rather stay home and make chocolate dipped pretzels and caramel pecan turtles? I do know that as some of my family members have asked me what I want for Christmas, my gut tendency has been to say "Absolutely nothing!" I'm confident that stems from the fact that we are living in a home with next to zero storage space and I feel like for every item brought in the door something else has to go.

Are my kids young enough that I won't scar them for life by minimizing the decor? Or should I put my own Bah Humbug-ness aside to cherish the joy of watching my daughter hang ornaments on the tree? Should I tell everyone not to get a gift for me because I truly don't NEED anything? Or will I steal the joy of giving that I so enjoy doing for others?