Simply said
I'm on the office decorating committee for our holiday party this year. We chose the theme "silver and gold". Our field administrator donated a live tree which some have called elegant and other saw as Charlie Brown's tree. The difference in perspective is one of those half full - half empty comparisons. Anyway, we were grateful to have a donated tree.
Our committee spent a day or so thinking of how to decorate for our potluck, program, and gift exchange. I made a few calls to explore ideas. I couldn't think of a more unlikely threesome to put together decorations. Especially when one said "I believe in simple. The less work the better. This is the last committee I expected to be on and I'm on the fence about most decisions." The other had ideas, like using the foil from her empty dog food bag to make place settings. I had ideas of making crafty paper boxes to place on foil doilies with natural twigs, cones and branches sprayed with silver and gold glitter, hanging icicle lights around the room covered by cloth for ambience. Anyway I think you get the picture - an unlikely threesome.
So yesterday, one of the three called me saying "I'm here at the Dollar Store and was looking at table coverings. Which do you think goes better with gold and silver - red or white?"
Today she brought in her cache - red and silver ornaments, big foil stars, red plastic table coverings, gold ribbon, and tinsel. I brought white lights, a tree skirt, laser cut brass ornaments, and silver angels ornaments. The third person added "I'm a good Indian, just not a good chief, so put me to work." We collected the ornaments and decorations stored from previous years and began sorting gold and silver out of the mix. I volunteered to place lights on the tree, only to discover that my method of "bottom up with lights wrapped around each branch" was time consuming, and we lacked sufficient strings of lights to do it well. So the "foil dog bag" gal wrapped the tree loosely from the top down. She used small office binder clips to reattach broken branches. Deciding we needed more lights but not wanting to increase the budget, she split open the dog food bag, arranged it beneath the tree, draped it with a set of larger white lights which reflected off the foil lining, and spread a glittered white scarf of cloth over the tree stand. I added sliver and white plastic ornaments, and sprigs of gold colored berries. Our "Indian not a chief" arranged for golden glittered snowflakes and silver bells to hang from the ceiling.
We turned out the lights in the room and "wow!" It looked simply elegant.
I've gained greater appreciation for my "make do or do without" companions. One told me how for years her family was so poor they bought the last tree on the lot before Christmas and then wired discarded branches to it to create more fullness. Then her family decorated it with just about whatever small shiny objects they had about the house or yard and added lights. Part of the magic of her Christmas was discovering what they wonder could create with the little bit they had.
As I drove home, looking at the lights displays, blown up yard ornaments, and lawn figures I thought about that simple manger that held a little king and the star of wonder that graced the sky overhead. Christ came into the world without fanfare or opulence. I find myself longing to celebrate His birth the same way, with simplicity and awe.
Our committee spent a day or so thinking of how to decorate for our potluck, program, and gift exchange. I made a few calls to explore ideas. I couldn't think of a more unlikely threesome to put together decorations. Especially when one said "I believe in simple. The less work the better. This is the last committee I expected to be on and I'm on the fence about most decisions." The other had ideas, like using the foil from her empty dog food bag to make place settings. I had ideas of making crafty paper boxes to place on foil doilies with natural twigs, cones and branches sprayed with silver and gold glitter, hanging icicle lights around the room covered by cloth for ambience. Anyway I think you get the picture - an unlikely threesome.
So yesterday, one of the three called me saying "I'm here at the Dollar Store and was looking at table coverings. Which do you think goes better with gold and silver - red or white?"
Today she brought in her cache - red and silver ornaments, big foil stars, red plastic table coverings, gold ribbon, and tinsel. I brought white lights, a tree skirt, laser cut brass ornaments, and silver angels ornaments. The third person added "I'm a good Indian, just not a good chief, so put me to work." We collected the ornaments and decorations stored from previous years and began sorting gold and silver out of the mix. I volunteered to place lights on the tree, only to discover that my method of "bottom up with lights wrapped around each branch" was time consuming, and we lacked sufficient strings of lights to do it well. So the "foil dog bag" gal wrapped the tree loosely from the top down. She used small office binder clips to reattach broken branches. Deciding we needed more lights but not wanting to increase the budget, she split open the dog food bag, arranged it beneath the tree, draped it with a set of larger white lights which reflected off the foil lining, and spread a glittered white scarf of cloth over the tree stand. I added sliver and white plastic ornaments, and sprigs of gold colored berries. Our "Indian not a chief" arranged for golden glittered snowflakes and silver bells to hang from the ceiling.
We turned out the lights in the room and "wow!" It looked simply elegant.
I've gained greater appreciation for my "make do or do without" companions. One told me how for years her family was so poor they bought the last tree on the lot before Christmas and then wired discarded branches to it to create more fullness. Then her family decorated it with just about whatever small shiny objects they had about the house or yard and added lights. Part of the magic of her Christmas was discovering what they wonder could create with the little bit they had.
As I drove home, looking at the lights displays, blown up yard ornaments, and lawn figures I thought about that simple manger that held a little king and the star of wonder that graced the sky overhead. Christ came into the world without fanfare or opulence. I find myself longing to celebrate His birth the same way, with simplicity and awe.
Comments
Love ya, Jo