Getting ready for the holidays..........

Every year, We make a BIG DEAL out of Christmas...our children are scattered all over the world...and the ONE rule is that they MUST be home for Christmas...
For the last 20 years, we HAD a BIG house and decorating it was a 2 day project.
I was OVER THE TOP when it came to decorating...crazy ....it was a Christmas paradise!And everyone came over and the holidays were a BIG thing...we invited everyone to our Christmas...and we had soo much fun!

but, this year, as with so many people today, business was hard...and we inherited a quaint little house...and the smartest idea was to DOWNSIZE and move.To be debt free....to live a simpler life.

so we moved...and although, our home hasn't yet sold...but we are completely out of it...and into the quaint little house....

now, because it hasn't sold, we haven't done any renovation to our "new" old home.....and the house is old......and hopefully, next year will be a big renovation year...
but not yet..

so our family...will have to share bedrooms, bathroom, and it will be a tight Christmas..a little Christmas....and there is NO room for over the top..not at this moment!

as an American..used to having it all...
that is kind of hard..in fact I feel a bit foolish being so sad about not being able to decorate like i used to...or to have the big flight of stairs my kids used to sit on every Christmas morning before they got their stockings...

but as a mother wanting to be with my kids....well, I found this photo today....something I bought from an estate...

and as I looked at it...I was again reminded....that it is NOT about Stuff. It is not about having more...it is about being content with what we have.

With all the ads...all the "stuff" we often forget these truths....
the "stuff" the "buy me nows" pull at us...

2009 ....many of us Americans have had to learn to change some of our priorities..

I think many of us will all have a different Christmas this year...
maybe not as much under the tree...
but hopefully we will learn to really appreciate what we do have...............

cathi