My new mantle decoration
I’m kind of sad about Christmas being over, are you? My boys went back to school this morning. No more sleeping in. It’s back to “work” as usual. Schedules have returned and routines are back to “normal”… whatever that means.
Over this last weekend, most people have been cleaning up and putting away all of the Christmas decorations. Back into boxes, to await for next December… Or November if that’s how you roll.
It seems like there is something sort of magical and symbolic about cleaning up from Christmas. A brand new year has come, and an old year has gone. All the Christmas decor gets packed away (like the old year) and you and your house are left with a fresh, clean blank slate.
I am not a person who makes resolutions on New Years… maybe you are, and that’s fine, but personally, I have always felt like September- the start of a new school year- has more of a “do-over” type of feeling to it.
However, one thing I do love is that feeling of a clean slate after all the Christmas stuff gets packed away. The mantle above my fireplace is clean and empty, and so are a lot of other shelf areas in my living room. It gives me a chance to sort of start over with decorating all at once. It’s amazing how changing little things like this can make such a large difference on the “feel” of room. For the last 3 years (since we’ve lived in a house that has a mantle for me to decorate) after every Christmas, I take down and put away all of my Christmas greenery and then I pull out all of my regular decor; candles and candle holders, branches, sticks, other little knick knacks, etc and then I get to work.
Over the years, my style has changed from being very “shabby chic” and country to being more contemporary, straight lines and “less is more”. My furniture has changed over time from distressed white to glossy black. In fact, I have even been painting all of our wood trim in our house black. Kind of a bold move perhaps, but I LOVE it. It’s classy and I think, better for homes with lots of kids. I love neutral backdrops and fun pops of color around… that makes it super easy to change things out without spending lots of money to change the feel of the room. Currently, my living room is painted in a nice tan color, with brown couches/chairs, black furniture and pops of orange and red. It makes me happy.
After I’ve cleaned my mantle and other shelves, pull out all of my decor, I start putting things in places that I think I might like. It’s amazing how long this takes me. I will literally put one or two items on the shelf or mantle, walk away from it and then study it to see if I like it. Sometimes I remove the items because they’re not working. Sometimes I like it, but need to move it over a quarter of an inch to make it balanced or centered or whatever. This goes on and on until I get that “feeling”. I am looking for the feeling of peace and orderliness. I want to have that feeling of just wanting to sit and admire my work. And I want it to be right.
The funny thing is that I have no idea if, when people come over to my house, they notice that that item on the shelf is perfectly centered. Of if they see that the items are perfectly balanced. But that doesn’t matter. They don’t need to know that it took me an hour to place those item in that precise way. The only thing that they need to know, or see, or feel when they come to my house is a sense of peace, of welcome and of beauty.
I believe that this is a awful lot like how God works with us. You are a mantle. I am a mantle. Every so often, our mantle needs to be totally cleared off and we need a fresh start. A clean slate. And then God will meticulously place items where He wants them. He’s looking for peace. He’s looking for beauty. I would even argue that He’s looking for balance. He wants to be able to sit back and admire His handiwork and say, “It is good.”
But sometimes, we resist this. We want Christmas decorations to be up all year round. They are familiar, they are comforting, they are nostalgic even. We like Christmas. We hold on to “Christmas” with a tight fist of control. Maybe your mantle decorations are feelings of hurt, or betrayal. Maybe they are issues of unforgiveness that has turned into bitterness. You hold on to them because you feel “justified”… they might hurt, but at least they are familiar.
It’s time to get out the box. And it’s time to let God clean off that mantle and give you a fresh start. God wants to bring out all of His “decoration” and create something beautiful in you. He wants to look at you and your life and say, “It is good.”
Like it or not, it starts with you. You have to be the one to let go of that tight fist of control and let God do His beautiful work. It’s a new year. A fresh start. A clean slate.
If I was going to make a resolution this year, it would not be to lose weight, or to be more organized, or to simplify… although those are all good and worthy goals. My resolution would be to allow. I want to allow God to have His way with me. I want to allow Him to take me to the places He wants me to go, do the things He wants me to do, and be in the situations He wants me to be in. Allow.
So what about you? Will you allow God to take down your Christmas decorations? Will you allow Him to create beauty and peace and balance in your life?
Kristi, this is beautiful! I just love your heart and your thought process. I, along with you, want God to come in to the areas of my life that I have shut down for what ever reason.. Sometimes I think, with me, it’s more just not “getting it”. I often have to ask God to show me very clearly because I tend to keep moving forward too often without slowing way down and listening.
And, then, there are those things that I stubbornly want to keep doing that I know keeps me from fully having the joy that I could be experiencing. So, I keep God pretty busy – but one thing for sure, He does not give up on me EVER. And for that I am eternally grateful.
Love you,
Donna
Thank you so much for sharing this picture…what a great challenge for the new year and daily process of growing closer to God!