Tiny Decorations

Decorating in December, it's probably the only time I enjoy decorating my house. Is it different when the house is tiny? Sure. Does it have to be? Nah. Is it fun? That's a personal choice.

I miss having enough room for a tree indoors. Half of the ornaments are family heirlooms, which usually just means old and not too broken. Half of the ornaments are sparkly or shiny to spread out the colored lights' glow. Even in my recently-sold cottage, I had enough room for a seven-foot Noble Fir. Noble fir because I liked the smell and the branches that were stout enough for heavy ornaments. Seven-foot, so the tree was taller than me, but not so tall that there wasn't room for the fragile hand-crafted star made from delicately woven strips of wood. Sure, there's enough room in my big tiny house for a tree, just not for me, too.

But lights can be strung and hung from windows and shelves. Ornaments can sit on display. Gifts can't be set under a tree, so for now, there's a stack on the kitchen counter. Still working on what to do with that. Maybe in front of the TV (really just a monitor) as it plays a video of a fireplace.

I miss my yard. Back then, there was always a tree to hang lights on, something that would bend and survive in a storm, as if celebrating resilience. I'd hope for snow, as many do, but particularly because of the lights' glow through an inch of a white blanket. (I am still impressed with a friend who strung up his outside lights into various sculptures, then set a sprinkler on them if the weather got below freezing. A unique and temporary art installation.) A tiny house doesn't have to have a tiny yard. Mine does because I live in a mobile home park, but the law of physics allows a few hundred square feet of living space to exist on a few acres (someday?), or even a few hundred acres of land. With the energy efficiency of LEDs, I could decorate on a scale that would entertain passengers on incoming flights. For now, though, I have a plum tree with branches too high to reach and a few scrub bushes. Maybe I'll plant something in the Spring, planning ahead.

I prefer to decorate in natural, organic shapes outdoors, and a bit more linear indoors. This year's compromise is to decorate both porches with simple white lights that are particularly welcome on dreary days, and useful to the delivery people who don't have to guess about where to step after sunset.

Indoors is brighter and cheerier than I expected. One LED string can light up a room. Battery-operated strings can be put anywhere, stitching an unbroken path of light throughout the house. Done right, and it becomes an ambiance that glows without overwhelming. Add some color and white walls aren't as dull.

Much of the decorating is visual. Lights and ornaments are like that. The overlooked bonus is that decorating becomes simple; a tiny task means it is more fun, and a task that takes less time means there is more time for everything else. Shopping? Dancing? Caroling? Celebrate the season as you can in your way. Happy holidays.