Garden Lessons: Prepare Your Holiday Home and Heart

With the holiday season firmly upon us, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement but also the frenzy of this short but important time of year. Today, we’ll look to the garden to glean some simple ways to prepare your holiday home and heart. 

Recently I was out in my garden putting away some last-minute items and spreading a thick layer of leaves. The leaves will breakdown over the winter months and improve my soil, all while I dream and scheme about what I want to plant next year. As I worked, I also reflected on what this holiday and advent season means to me and my family. With it being our first Christmas in our new home, I’m excited to establish holiday traditions that are unique to our new setting. There’s also a longing to weave in past traditions and activities that have been a steadfast part of our family memories each Christmas.  

Holiday Traditions New and Old

Cutting fresh greenery for our front entrance, crafting handmade gifts, sewing, ornament making and baking are all holiday activities that we thoroughly enjoy. They cultivate creativity, hard work, resourcefulness, and generosity in each of us. They also bless others who receive the fruits of our labor. Regular time outside in the crisp, cold air is also a staple activity along with reading stacks of Christmas picture books and playing our favorite Christmas albums on repeat.  

As I survey our new space, I’m considering what new traditions we want to establish. I’m excited to have a mantle again where I can hang our stockings and an easy fireplace that won’t catch them on fire (I miss our wood stove, but electric fireplaces sure are convenient). I’m enjoying a kitchen corner set aside for a hot chocolate and tea station with our favorite Christmas mugs. Then there’s Mike who’s committed to hanging outdoor lights along our roofline (not my specialty) which thrilled the kids to no end. Our town also hosts an annual Christmas parade and tree lighting which we’re excited to attend with local friends.  

Lessons from the Garden For Your Holiday Heart and Home

The rush of excitement and flurry of the holiday season reminds me of the rush of spring in the garden. There’s a thrill in the air of what’s to come in this season. There’s hopes of what will grow and memories of what we’ve enjoyed growing in the past. Simultaneously, there can be an underlying feeling of hurry to get all the spring tasks done within a short window of time.

Alongside hurry, there can also be a sense of overwhelm with what to plant. When there’s endless options in the seed catalogue or at the garden center, the decisions are not easy. To combat the spring overwhelm, I’ve learned to identify my seasonal priorities, assess my capacity, and take a few simple steps to prepare for planting. Today, consider how to prepare your own holiday home and heart by applying those spring gardening strategies to this season.  

Three Questions I ask to Prepare for Spring Gardening 

The things you can consider with the holidays can feel overwhelming, especially when it feels like it’s all crammed between Thanksgiving and Christmas day (instead, look up the 12 days of Christmas- the season doesn’t end on December 26^th!). Food, decoration, gifts, volunteering, work and school events- these can all add up to a lot very quickly. Similarly, our spring garden checklist can feel endless- sourcing seeds and plants, organizing the tool shed, preparing our beds, buying compost, weeding and feeding, and finally planting. It’s a lot. Here are three simple questions I ask to help keep me sane in the spring season. In a bit we’ll explore how to use these same questions to prepare your holiday home and heart.  

1. What are my priorities this season? 

Each spring, I try to look back at my notes from last year’s garden (yes, take a few minutes in the fall to note what worked well and what didn’t in the garden that year). This helps me narrow in on what I want to repeat and what didn’t work so well. I also consider any new plants I want to grow, expansion or renovation of garden beds, and new techniques I may want to try out. Maybe there’s a different way of trellising cucumbers I want to try out or a corner of the yard I want to spruce up by planting new perennials. These all get written down. I let myself dream and scheme without too much restraint at this point.  

2. What is my capacity this season? 

Once I’ve identified what I want to grow and where I want to garden, I compare that list with reality. I consider my resources of time, energy, budget, and space. I never lack ideas, but they don’t always align with my capacity. Do I have the energy and time on a weekly and monthly basis to tend to these ideas throughout the season? Does my budget allow for the purchasing of necessary materials or even hired help? Do I have the proper space and sunlight that these plants require to grow? These questions often help narrow down my list to a much more manageable length and help me match up my garden priorities with my actual capacity.  

3. What are 3 simple steps I can take to prepare and make space?  

Once I’ve matched my priorities with my capacity, I take a few easy steps to prepare for the upcoming garden tasks. I look at my calendar for the next month and see what days I can block out for larger garden tasks. I see if there’s regular life tasks that I need to put on hold or minimize for that month to make room for gardening. I usually make a list of any supplies I’ll need on hand to do that work and figure out where to source them. I walk around my garden and see what work may need to be done to clean up from the winter season. These few simple steps help me prepare for the upcoming season and help me get some traction and motivation. Now let’s apply them to the holidays.  

Three Questions to Ask to Prepare your Holiday Home and Heart 

1. What are your priorities this season for your heart and home? 

Just like in the garden, first consider what you want to incorporate into your holiday season from previous years. What past traditions, decorations and events are meaningful to your family? I’ve started taking notes each December on things that work well so that the following November I can look back as I plan for a new year. For example, this year I shopped for gifts for my extended family in October and really enjoyed it. It was low stress and took a load off my to-do list come December.  

Next, ask what new traditions, events, or activities you want to incorporate. See when those events fall on the calendar and if you can accommodate them. Be sure to also block some empty space for you and your family to rest and have time for quiet and connection.  

2. What is your capacity this holiday season? 

Your list of past and new traditions may be quite long. Just like in the spring garden, the holiday season brings a lot of excitement and anticipation. Most likely, that list will exceed your time, energy, budget and space. This is where the rubber meets the road and you’ll enjoy the season much more if you practice some restraint at this point.  

Instead of decorating every nook and cranny, pick 3-4 key places in your home to add some holiday cheer. Instead of filling every open night with activities, pick a few that are most important. Assess what your budget will allow for and match your priorities with that. There are endless holiday activities where we live, and some are quite pricey. We budgeted for the ones that we could afford and passed on the other ones. Two or three events attended with a peaceful, unhurried spirit is better than endless events that strain your budget and schedule.  

3. What are three steps you can take to prepare and make space? 

An hour of simple preparation goes a long way in setting the stage for a memorable and enjoyable holiday season. Look at your calendar and see what space you have open. Are there regular life events you can simplify or put on pause for this season to create margin? Look at your top priorities and see what small steps you can take to allow them to happen.  

If advent is important, order those advent candles and pick an advent devotional you can set out on your coffee table.  If baking cookies is a priority, pick one recipe and stock your pantry with the necessary ingredients. If attending a special event is critical, put it on the calendar and ensure you have any necessary tickets, childcare or special clothes to accommodate it. If you want some natural Christmas decor, pick up a natural wreath at the store next time you shop. Stick a command hook on your front door, add some battery-operated string lights, and you’ll have a festive wreath to greet you every day.  

As you consider this holiday season and your priorities, remember that it’s more about the experience of the traditions than doing them perfectly. Don’t get caught up in the world of online inspiration so long that you never actually do the thing. Doing a few things intentionally with a peaceful heart is so much better than tackling a long to do list with fury and hurry. So, this season, pause for a bit to consider those 3 questions to prepare your holiday home and heart: 

1. What are your priorities this season? 

2. What is your capacity this season? 

3. What are three steps you can take to prepare and make space? 

A little bit of reflection, planning, and preparation will allow you to have a peaceful, joy-filled holiday season. These three questions help you to that end, just as they do in your spring garden. Now grab a cup of something warm, a pen, and paper and start answering those questions!