Mon., Nov. 19, 2018

Proverbs 24:4 – let good sense fill the rooms with priceless treasures.

I succumbed to buy Christmas items before Thanksgiving.

I know. Sigh. It’s true.

I am one of those people who really tries not to rush the season. I tend to wait and enjoy the Christmas season after Thanksgiving. (Except last year when the tress went up before Thanksgiving because we hosted a holiday open house the Sunday after Thanksgiving.) So, I usually don’t shop, wrap, bake or do much of anything Christmas until the end of November.

But last week, I couldn’t help myself. It happened while in Louisville, KY for the sheep show. My sister Debbie and I found a Target very close to the hotel. And we were sucked into the bargain bin area, right when you walk into the store.

You know the area? Where they have items that are very seasonal and usually $5 or less. Of course, this area was all Christmas the night we walked into the store. We barely had a cart and sure enough, we were filling it with fun and inexpensive Christmas items. We both walked away with several cool things that were not terribly expensive. Items we might use to decorate our houses or items we can use for gifts. All very reasonable. When we checked out, neither had spent much money and yet we felt like we had some super cool items. Let me share with you a few of the favorite treasures we found.

Material Buckets – My sister Debbie owns a flower shop. She also sells giftware. These quickly caught her eye. She talked about putting together buckets of fun treasures that some one could stop in at the shop, pick up and have a ready made present. They are decent sized, about 12” wide and deep. So, there is room to fill. And they come in super cute fabrics. I love the grey, but the plaids are lovely as well.

Metal Buckets – if you prefer something non-material, these metal buckets might work. Debbie talked about putting small Christmas trees inside of them. They could be a real miniature tree or artificial.

Artificial Tree – These little trees are so cute! My favorite part? The wooden square holder they stand in with galvanized sides. Trees are about 12-14 inches tall. There are different styles of trees, including some flocked. (You could put in the metal bucket, but then the cute holder would be covered up.)

Bottle Brush Trees – So, these are ALL. THE. RAGE. They are everywhere. I had not bought one and didn’t plan on it. Until I saw these at Target. They had three different sizes and lots of different colors. Debbie bought every silver one they had for a business client she decorates for. Yes, I bought a few as well.

Ladies socks – They come in this cute little gift box with three pairs inside. A great little hostess gift.

Snowflake ornaments – For $1/each, how could I not pick up a couple?

Packages of snowflake ornaments – actually, Debbie found these in the Christmas area. Three ornaments for $3. She was looking for something new for her tree. I believe she found it.

Bath salts – I am a complete bath gal. In the winter, I love to warm up by taking a bath before I go to bed. And I’m convinced it helps me sleep better. For $1/per star filled with bath salts, aren’t they fun gifts to give to the bath gal in your life?

Thank you notes – Fun little notes that have just enough of a holiday flare.

Christmas pencils – 10 pencils for $1. I picked up enough packages that we will put in our Blessings food bags for the school kids before Christmas.

Metal Houses – I thought these were super cute. Different sizes and shapes. Wouldn’t they look cute with a little candle on the inside?

Wooden snowflake and yarn star ornaments – Each year, I give our grandkids an ornament. I’ll pick something from this staff for them this year. Each of these ornaments was $1. I love the star ones in particular.

It would have been so easy to go nuts and fill a cart. Debbie and I both refrained and picked out just a few of our favorites. We both have lots of Christmas decorations, which I really want to sort through again this year. (Hubby Rick reminds me constantly that if I bring something new into the house, something must exit.)

I’m celebrating adding just a couple small, fun and inexpensive new things to the mix. My theory? Find a couple special treasures that aren’t expensive and display them well. Make them priceless treasures; things you will love to have for years to come. Just a couple items that feel extra-special because they were carefully chosen. Or a couple fun items you can share with someone who is important in your life.

It can be SO EASY to go overboard in the next few weeks. I’m trying to follow my own advice and pick out special treasures: in gift-giving, baking, decorating and everything else Christmas this year. The real treasure is the birth of a Savior. I pray what I do in the next few weeks will always help me remember this treasure in my life.

For simple treasures in life, I am grateful.

Lord God – it’s not yet Thanksgiving, and we can easily become preoccupied with all the Christmas preparations. We can easily become overwhelmed. I pray we find a few simple, yet meaningful, treasures by which we focus our holiday preparations. And continually remember the real treasure is the birth of the Christ-child. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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