When I was growing up I loved decorating the Christmas tree. Dad’s job was dragging the tree in, setting it up and putting on the lights. My little sister Amy and I helped him with the lights, but then he typically disappeared while Mom, Amy and I decorated the tree. It was so much fun unwrapping the ornaments and recalling the stories behind each of them. My mom will probably tell you I lost interest in decorating the tree as a teenager, but I don’t remember it that way.
Fast forward 30+ years and I find myself with a husband and two teenage sons, who have ZERO interest in holiday decorating other than setting up the tree for me. Unlike my dad, they don’t even have to string it with lights, because it is pre-lit. Just like my dad though they disappear when it comes time to decorate it.
Faced with decorating the tree alone again this year I decided it was time to get smart about decorating it. As you can see in this photo, our family ornaments are stored in stacking plastic totes. Four of the levels house what I call our “family favorites”, four levels hold ornaments I have purchased or relatives have given my sons over the years (they will take these with them when they have their first trees) and the last three levels house what I would term the “second string” ornaments.
I love a decorated tree, but dread the thought of unwrapping each of these ornaments and placing them on the tree. Because of this dread, I have a tough time even opening up the totes. This year, I tried something different and coached myself by asking this question: “What is most important to me about having a decorated tree?” My answer: Being able to enjoy my special collections of ornaments, ornaments from our trips over the years, ornaments from our childhoods and ornaments my boys made growing up.
What I realized when I answered this question is that very few of the second string ornaments met these criteria. In a matter of minutes I 
decided to leave most of those second stringers in the tote, and was also able to quickly select a dozen or so that I donated to the local thrift shop. The result is a tree filled with the most important ornaments, as opposed to every ornament that has ever made it into the ornament totes. An added bonus is freed up storage space available to house meaningful future ornaments.
What might make decorating more enjoyable and less overwhelming for you this year? What questions might you ask yourself when decorating your tree and your home? What kind of difference might asking those questions make?