I Was Supposed to Decorate the Tree… But December Had Other Plans

I had one simple plan. One tiny, innocent mission.

Put on my playlist, light a candle, and decorate my Christmas tree like the responsible adult I occasionally pretend to be.

But December must have overheard me and said, “That is adorable. No.”

Because what actually happened was a plot twist.

I woke up with the intention to untangle lights, but instead I ended up untangling my entire life. Not in a dramatic way, just in the way December always pulls you aside and whispers, “Are you sure this is who you still want to be?” And suddenly you are sitting on the floor, holding a strand of lights you have not plugged in yet, remembering the person you were in January and wondering how you got here.

The Tree Can Wait— My Soul Apparently Could Not

To be fair, the tree has waited before. It has waited for work. It has waited for travel. It has waited for Amazon deliveries that did not arrive on time. What it has never waited for is a mid-morning existential check in, yet here we are.

There was something about today that pulled me in another direction.

Maybe it was the quiet. Maybe it was the year catching up to me. Maybe it was the way December feels like a doorway rather than a month.

I sat there, lights untouched, and realized I had more on my mind than where the ornaments should go. I needed to sort through the parts of me that grew, the parts that healed, and the parts I am still negotiating with God about. This year did not go in a straight line. It looped, twisted, stalled, restarted, and somehow still managed to teach me more about resilience than any motivational speaker ever could.

So yes, the tree can wait. The soul things could not.

The Funny Part

At one point, I genuinely tried to stand up and decorate.

I grabbed the first ornament, lifted my arm, and then immediately sat back down because my brain said, “Actually no, we are thinking right now.” I swear even the ornament sighed like it already knew.

By the time I emerged from my thought spiral, I had done everything except decorate. I cleaned a corner of my living room. I reorganized my notes. I made myself breakfast. I wrote half a reflection for my blog. I prayed. I stared at the tree again. I thought about taking a nap. I had a full day of productivity and avoidance packaged together like a seasonal special.

December would be proud.

So What Did I Learn?

I learned that sometimes the thing you think you need to do is just a doorway to the thing you actually need to face.

I learned that avoiding the tree is not failure. It is simply evidence that I am human.

I learned that God speaks even in the scatter. Even in the unfinished. Even in the moments where you are holding a sparkly ornament and thinking about your entire existence.

I learned that the holidays are not only about creating a picture-perfect scene. They are about creating space for who you are becoming.

Final Thoughts

I will decorate the tree. Eventually. Probably. Hopefully before Christmas. But today reminded me that the tree is not the point. The heart behind the season is.

December has a funny way of interrupting your plans in order to redirect your attention. Sometimes toward gratitude. Sometimes toward healing. Sometimes toward rest.

Today it pointed me back to myself. And honestly, that felt like the decoration I needed most.

Your Turn

Before you rush into your holiday list, take a moment. Check in. Ask yourself what December is trying to show you. Then decorate whatever needs decorating first. Even if it is not the tree.

By the way…

While you’re here, I’d love for you to explore my book 17 Syllables of Me and visit my website, SoulPath Insights.

Thank you for taking the time to read! 🤗

Soul Path Insights