Yellow Hexagon Shelves

I love to decorate for Christmas.

But I prefer to do it very slowly. 

The halls of most American yuletide-loving homes are fully decked by the close of Thanksgiving weekend, but that's when I'm just beginning my process. Armed with bits of paper, tree branches, fishing line, assorted garlands, and twinkle lights, I expect to spread the job out over the next few weeks.

Here, in day-to-day installments, is the story of how my house is getting ready for Christmas.

* * * * *

When I'm getting my home ready for Christmas, it's a much a process of stripping down as it is layering on. 

We all know that the holidays can easily turn into a time of gluttony and excess, and I definitely struggle with that sense of overload in my surroundings. All of the trimmings and trappings around the house, lovely as they are, can send me into a tailspin by the first of January, so I make a special effort to clear away some of the ordinary household clutter and create a blank slate of order before I begin to add any seasonal touches.

Take this wall in my living room, for example. There's been a painting hanging here for the past few years, and lately it's been bugging me. Too much detail and fuss. I may sound like a princess for saying so, but the whole room feels cluttered and uncomfortable to me because of this. 

So I'm walking through Hobby Lobby yesterday on a totally unrelated errand. As I came around a corner, and suddenly took in the display table right in front of me, my eyes fell upon these beauties like an oasis in the desert.

Yellow hexagonal boxes. Trimmed in pale wood and ready for hanging. Large and small versions. 

Now, I'll be honest. I had no idea that two yellow hexagonal boxes were going to change my life.

Before the instant that I laid eyes on them, I had no clue that I even wanted such things. 

I couldn't have predicted how neat and clean they would look against my blank tan wall. 

I never guessed that their strong geometry and powerful color would make them read as objects of art in their own right.

I didn't foresee that adding just a few seasonal treasures would transform them into festive Christmas decor.

I did not expect that all of my feelings about this room would change when I hung them here, simple and sleek.

But the minute I laid eyes on their six-sided yellow glory, I knew that these shelves would bring their peaceful minimalist vibe and colorful spunk into my home not for just the holiday season, but for every new day to come.  

Silent night

Holy night

All is calm

All is bright.