My grandparents were minimalists long before the term was invented and popular. They lived through the Great Depression, so they were very mindful of spending, and fiercely practical.
As a kid, their lifestyle seemed kind of boring. They didn't vacation often, my Grandfather worked a lot, and on Christmas my grandmother decorated with a solitary, red poinsettia plant.
"Ma, where is your Christmas tree?" we would ask every December.
"Right over there," she would point to the poinsettia wrapped in colorful tinfoil. "That is my Christmas tree."
It can be a festive experience to select a tree, decorate it with lights and holiday ornaments. As I have become older, however, the task of putting all the decorations away seems to tarnish the fun. Now that we no longer have young kids in the family, seeing the joy through their eyes is gone as well.
I imagine my grandmother, Ann, laughing up in Heaven as she now watches me cut some greens from the yard, arrange them in a vase and wrap one strand of lights around them. I add a few amaryllis bulbs around the house, which I will plant in the garden, come spring. Watching these plants bloom brings joy to the season in a more practical way than cutting down a healthy tree. I'm grateful for the example she set and the opportunity to conserve my energy after a hectic year. It is a present I am giving to myself.
What holiday lessons have you learned from your cool grannies?
As a kid, their lifestyle seemed kind of boring. They didn't vacation often, my Grandfather worked a lot, and on Christmas my grandmother decorated with a solitary, red poinsettia plant.
"Ma, where is your Christmas tree?" we would ask every December.
"Right over there," she would point to the poinsettia wrapped in colorful tinfoil. "That is my Christmas tree."
It can be a festive experience to select a tree, decorate it with lights and holiday ornaments. As I have become older, however, the task of putting all the decorations away seems to tarnish the fun. Now that we no longer have young kids in the family, seeing the joy through their eyes is gone as well.
I imagine my grandmother, Ann, laughing up in Heaven as she now watches me cut some greens from the yard, arrange them in a vase and wrap one strand of lights around them. I add a few amaryllis bulbs around the house, which I will plant in the garden, come spring. Watching these plants bloom brings joy to the season in a more practical way than cutting down a healthy tree. I'm grateful for the example she set and the opportunity to conserve my energy after a hectic year. It is a present I am giving to myself.
What holiday lessons have you learned from your cool grannies?
Order your copy now of #CoolGrannies
Available in Paperback or ebook format
Free for KindleUnlimited
Available in Paperback or ebook format
Free for KindleUnlimited
RSS Feed
