When we travel in our Airstream, we often reference the philosophy of “less is more.” You know, sometimes bigger is not necessarily better. Indeed, one reason we camp is to purposefully experience a simpler life.
Here’s an unlikely “less is more” tale that’s somewhat documented in our Christmas card video.
Best $10 we spent this year? Our Christmas tree, a real one that was among the neglected leftovers on the lot.
Just a few days ago, we were going through the season as usual, but for whatever reason had not put up a tree.
In years past, we’ve gotten some pretty large trees into our house. That history was part of the problem.
Large trees are quite lovely, but they are a bear to purchase, move, and decorate. It’s an intimidating task that wipes out much of your day. We’ve still got deep scratches on our back door from the gigantic tree we wrestled into the house a few years ago.
So this year we had been negligent on the tree trimming front. We were playing Christmas carols and putting up other decorations in our house. But NO tree! Sure, we were enjoying the season, but it felt like something was missing.
One morning it dawned on me: less is more! Our Christmas tree doesn’t need to be a redwood. My favorite Christmas cartoon is the classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in which our befuddled hero takes home a neglected little tree and shows it some love. Why couldn’t we do the same?
And so we did. Since we were late to go Christmas tree shopping, almost all of the trees were gone. Our chosen $10 tree was literally among the final two trees on the lot. It’s a size I would deem “comfy” – it meets the Goldilocks criteria of being not too large, and not too small. It’s just right.
Getting it home was a breeze! I was able to lift the tree by myself and set it in the bed of our truck. I carried it inside the house by myself too. (A few years ago, just lifting our gargantuan tree was a two-man job.)
Since our tree is on the small side, we found a nice place for it in a highly visible part of our living room. A larger tree wouldn’t fit into this spot.
Once we got the tree positioned inside, we had a wonderful time sipping egg nog and decorating. Of course Kristy takes the lead on the tree trimming, while I spearhead the egg nog effort. (Seasoned with a healthy dash of Maker’s Mark and nutmeg.)
Decorating the tree required no ladders or other gymnastics. It was a cinch. It was especially a cinch for me, since I mainly just watched Kristy work her magic with twinkling lights and golden ornaments.
In the days since we brought home our little “Charlie Brown Christmas Tree,” we’ve gotten an ENORMOUS amount of enjoyment from it. Not only is the tree pretty to view, it’s served as a daily reminder of the season, and made our home feel more complete.
Our smallish tree brought us a great deal of fun and satisfaction, never once feeling like a chore. Just another example of “less is more” in action.
From our family to yours…
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!