For those who observe the holidays, it is valuable to maintain traditions. Because when caregiving ends, you’ll need those social connections and familiar tasks to help you readjust to life. It’s so easy to open each morning with a wish for the day to end quickly. But if you do that everyday, you’ll wake up one morning to find that the years have passed you by, and you can barely remember them. You don’t deserve that kind of rushed existence. You deserve to dwell in some happiness, even if it’s just for a few moments.
Growing up, my family spent Decembers cleaning and decorating our respective homes. In my parents’ house, my father waxed the hardwood floors until you were tempted to roll a bowling ball across them. At my grandparents house, my grandmother’s special holiday trinkets emerged and she glammed up her wall hangings with wrapping paper and metallic bows. Towering evergreen trees with streaming ribbons and glistening, dangling ornaments appeared like magic when you walked into my aunts’ houses. They still inspire me today with their knack for decorating and finding great deals on beautiful things to usher in the holiday spirit.
I know firsthand the toll that caregiving can take on simple things like planning and decorating for holidays. Time is always an issue. And sometimes, you just don’t feel like being bothered with any of it. And that is valid and ok. But if you are thinking about how you can incorporate some holiday flair in your home without all of the fuss, here are three tips to help:
Bigger is Better
Ditch the storage containers filled with countless ornaments and figurines for bigger, bolder decorations. Large wreaths and standing statues are easy to display and require little to no assembly. Dollar stores usually have sweet things like stuffed bears that you can place on your sofas and chairs as reminders that the holiday season has arrived. The goal is to use items that can be displayed immediately without assembly.
Ditch the Tree
Trees are lovely, but they’re a task to decorate and assemble (if it’s artificial). If it’s going to cause you to act more naughty than nice, don’t bother. You can still decorate your home without using a tree.
Create a Seasonal Atmosphere
Not much for typical holiday decor? Try creating a seasonal atmosphere. Picture it:
Homemade potpurri boiling on the stove, if your care recipent isn’t sensitive to the fragrance.
A candy dish in each room filled with peppermints.
A diy hot tea/coffee/chocolate station in your kitchen with a smorgasbord of toppings.
A basket filled with toasty slippers for your family and guests.
Fresh blankets on the family/living room sofa or chairs folded and ready for cozy nights and weekends indoors.
Are you decorating for the holidays? Comment and share your tips and tricks with other caregivers. Until then,
Take Care,
D. Southern
Caregivers' Village 