My decluttering urges do not come with the start of the New Year, nor with the onset of resolutions that fail nor with Spring fever. Mine come right before Christmas- the absolute worst timing to start cleaning out your basement, organizing your closets, and finishing up miscellaneous home projects that have been delayed for one reason or another.
I've finally realized that my inspiration always comes from Christmas Clutter. The stores become claustrophobic with American holiday excess, the constant focus on more! more! more! in advertising, and appalling lawn ornamentations like these:
If you own one, my apologies. But they still suck. And while we keep the focus on Jesus' birth here at Jack-on-the-Lake, I let in a little Santa cheer too. And I can love and appreciate the kitsch - I still longingly remember my grandmother's plastic light up nativity set. But there is nothing about Santa riding a chopper with flames that marks the season. All it says is I buy crappy nonsensical junk made by poor Taiwanese children from Walmart.
You know, or something like that.
And I start to get sick from the excess that we have - So with that, we have taken three carloads of stuff to Goodwill, one carload of toys to the previously mentioned Toys for Tots, two carloads to the abuse shelter and one huge box of every single VHS tape we own to the library. 85 videos total. Whomever is going through that box is going to wonder what kind of nut donated these. As it has everything from The Freddy Mercury Tribute Concert, to every Disney movie possible, to old Cary Grant movies.
And while I would love to say that it is entirely the holiday spirit that flows charity through my veins, and well I COULD keep it all for garage sale season you know, I have to admit that the purging does just as much for me and my soul. And gives me some breathing room and a feeling of responsibility.
Don't be surprised if you come to visit and I've taken away useless things like "guest beds" and "extra towels" - I go a bit overboard on any project.
You should know that by now.
4 comments:
Amen to those awful blowup Christmas Lawn ornaments! My Neighbors across the road have one of those up! & there's another house that has about ten of them in there front yard. Awful i tell you! Especially, Santa on a chopper! Where's the Christmas meaning with that?!!
Sarah
I think because we live in Harley Davidson country that everyone thinks they are being witty?
Because my guess is that you and I see a lot more of those than most people around the country!
HILARIOUS!!!!!!!!!! I second the AMEN on the lawn ornaments. I doesn't matter where you live, what kind of neighborhood. The "WALMART" comes out in everyone during the season. Our neighbors feel that the plastic light up reindeer are cool, some with sleighs, some without. NO THEY AREN't. I am a Christmas Decoration conservative!
Thanks for the laugh. : )
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