Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2015 2:45:52 GMT
I don't know if I'm getting lazier or just not as excited about Christmas because there are no little kids in the family (mine is the youngest and he will be 14 next week)
Last summer I went through most of my holiday stuff and got rid of totes worth. I used to go all out with a village, mantle, decorated the hutch, put stuff in the kitchen and bathroooms, etc. I got rid of about half. It was a lot of work to carry up from the basement and put out, and no one really helped me. Plus we stopped hosting family get togethers because so many family have moved away.
This year as I was bringing up decorations, I purged again. I konmarie'd them I guess. I really only kept stuff I truly loved and enjoyed, which it turns out was not that much...
We are doing the tree this weekend and I think I'm going to do the same with my ornaments. I usually put bows, beads and ribbons on after the regular ornaments but I'm thinking about just changing to some large red bulbs instead and sorting through and only keeping the special ones.
Anyone else do this recently? Just keep the stuff you only really love? Did you find there wasn't much left? I'm finding it weird that it took me so long to realize I didn't care about most of the stuff, even though I'd spend days decoarting/undecorating.
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Post by ntsf on Dec 3, 2015 2:49:23 GMT
all christmas stuff at my house fits in one plastic tote. with a few other misc stuff. it is mostly ornaments. and I uphold the family tradition of getting the tree the 23rd or 24th, decorating and keeping it up til new years. that's about it. I am happy without much stuff around.. my only requirement is that it is a real tree every year.
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Post by kernriver on Dec 3, 2015 2:51:05 GMT
I honestly hate Christmas. Its just making work for yourself,,,drag the shit out, set the shit up, put the shit away. Can you tell I'm n a pissy mood?
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Post by hollymolly on Dec 3, 2015 3:01:41 GMT
I could tell before the tree went up that it was not going to be kitten friendly. I tried just putting up my non-breakable ornaments, but the youngest keeps climbing into the tree to get at them and I'm afraid he's going to bend the limbs out of shape. I'm considering taking it back down now. I know I they will destroy any wrapped presents, so I didn't even attempt to put those out. After this year, I only have one more Christmas with cats. Then The Boy moves and they move with him.
I did buy a tall skinny tree on sale from Michael's and put it in my bedroom for all of my breakables. I have all of the presents under that tree. That, plus the stockings on the fireplace may have to be all I do for the next two Christmases. It kinda sucks to be paying mortgage on a whole house but feel like only one room belongs to me. Can you tell I'm weary of my roommates? They're cute, but destructive as hell and I want my house back.
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grammanisi
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Jun 26, 2014 1:37:37 GMT
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Post by grammanisi on Dec 3, 2015 3:07:34 GMT
Me. I used to go all out with the decorations, anymore I just don't have the energy to do it. I am going to have a few more things this year, since our great grandson is here everyday and he loves the lights!
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Deleted
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May 1, 2024 22:16:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2015 3:12:23 GMT
I minimized my holiday decorations (all holidays not just Christmas) over the past year, and I'm SO GLAD I did. The house is still appropriately seasonally festive, but there is far less *stuff* to store, care for, put up, take down, etc. Reduced stress and time spent decorating and undecorating has improved our enjoyment of the holidays. No regrets here.
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milocat
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Mar 18, 2015 4:10:31 GMT
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Post by milocat on Dec 3, 2015 3:22:12 GMT
I want to get a smaller tree, mine is so big and takes a long time to set up fluff and put the lights on. I do my mantle, take off everyday decor, put up Christmas things and wire in a garland and lights. A string of lights in the window, a wreath in the entrance. That's about it so I don't feel the need to have less, except the tree. If I had more I would get sick of it for sure.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Dec 3, 2015 3:23:32 GMT
I have a lot of ornaments but not much in terms of other décor. Other than the outside lights and stuff which is DH's domain, my stuff takes a couple days to put up working on it a couple hours at a time. I have my mom's manger scene, our main (real) tree, a set of new fake trees, a couple of tabletop trees that DD decorates and a small Christmas village that a friend of mine gave to DD when she downsized a couple years ago.
I love my ornaments. People give me new ones every year plus I buy a new one for DD every year that she will be able to take with her when she grows up. I have a few stuffed snowmen that I leave up year round, and that's about it. I can get it all taken down and put away in about an afternoon. I have a pretty good storage system so takes me longer to put it up (real trees are quirky that way!) than it does to take it down.
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Post by mztfied on Dec 3, 2015 3:26:31 GMT
I gave up on decorations and tree 5 years ago. Without my dh here there seems no reason to get it all out. Actually I don't miss all the fuss. Nothing to put away.
I do get out my Christmas CD's. I so enjoy the music.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Dec 3, 2015 3:28:02 GMT
I have been downsizing more and more each year. Part of it is because we don't have a little one and a larger part is I was tired of doing all the work to get it out, put it up, take it back down and put it back in storage. They complain that the house isn't festive enough, but when I ask for help they all disappear.
Last year I gave away the artificial tree because there just isn't room after the remodel. Because DH's d@mn dog would think Santa had gifted him with his own tree to pee on, I am going to just put up a table top tree. That's something I swore I'd never do. I also donated the wreath that took up so much room in storage. Now I get a fresh one, add a pretty bow, then toss it after Christmas. I also gave away tons of decorations. If it didn't have special meaning, it got donated. I'm positive there will be more donations made in January. I still need to go through the Halloween box and ditch most of that as well.
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Mystie
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Post by Mystie on Dec 3, 2015 3:35:18 GMT
I went through everything a few years ago and downsized by maybe 30%, which is good for me. This year I got supremely lazy...all the Christmas stuff is up in the attic and a PITA to get to. So I bought a small live tree, lights, and ornaments, and when Christmas is over the tree will go into the garbage and the ornaments will go to the thrift store around the corner! And that's it for the Christmas decorating this year.
I think at some point when I'm feeling supremely energetic, I will make some room in a closet (how, don't ask me), have my husband haul all the holiday stuff down, and put my very favorite things in the closet where I can get at them easily and enjoy them.
The lack of storage space in my house is an ongoing problem. It saps my desire to decorate.
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Post by maryland on Dec 3, 2015 3:47:56 GMT
I would love to downsize and organize our Christmas decorations! But my husband is the type that doesn't like to throw anything away, even if it hasn't been used in years! I would rather declutter, and if we ever need to buy it again, I am happy to use my "fun" money to purchase it again. And decluttering would make me enjoy decorating a lot more because it would be a lot less to deal with. We travel for Thanksgiving, travel the weekend before Christmas (for a few days) then travel at Christmas. Each trip is 5 hours. So we are hardly home during the holidays and no one even comes to our house to see our decorations. And the Christmas stuff doesn't look nice because the kids normal every day mess is still there. The kids did some decorating on Sunday and Monday, but left all the rubbermaids, and tissue paper and all the mess all over the floor. Can you tell I am overwhelmed! Love that I can vent here! When I was growing up, I loved Christmas so much! Now all we have to do just stresses me out. I miss the love I used to have for the holidays! But my friends are also stressed around the holidays (and they don't even have to travel) so we like to vent to each other!
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Post by ~KellyAnn~ on Dec 3, 2015 3:56:12 GMT
I'm the opposite. I love decorating for Christmas, and have added another tree this year. It's a four foot vintage aluminum tree that I had bought at a thrift store years ago (never opened, $15!). I thought it was lost during my divorce, but dd found it at her father's and brought it home. I have been looking for Shiny Brites to decorate it, and of course have added some other vintage items to my collections along the way (like mini Santa mugs, a Santa blow mold and an old porcelain angel bell.) I'd be happy to just have old retro stuff that reminds me of my grandparents.... don't throw that stuff out! (I'm still sad my aunt tossed a lot when she moved in to take care of my grandpa when my grandma died.)
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akathy
What's For Dinner?
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Jun 25, 2014 22:56:55 GMT
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Post by akathy on Dec 3, 2015 4:03:44 GMT
I used to go all out too but after my DH died I was over it. Our kids were married and living out of state and it was just work. I downsized several times and now I don't decorate at all. I saved the ornaments that have special meaning for my DDs to deal with someday but they're in one small tote. I have to say too that I DON'T MISS THE DECORATING ONE LITTLE BIT!! I only do the things I truly love to do and my holidays are much more relaxed and happy this way
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Post by alissa103 on Dec 3, 2015 4:07:53 GMT
ME!!! I'm so glad I did.
We DO have a little one, but honestly I just don't want the hassle of all the extra stuff. So we have an easy, three section pre-lit tree. A wreath for the front door. Our stockings. A Christmas countdown calendar. And a mini tree for DS. That's it. It's one tote plus the tree bag. It's plenty, it's warm & Christmasy. EVERYTHING from getting the stuff out of the garage to hanging the stockings, takes a total of two and a half hours to put up.
I also went through ornaments and put all the breakables and super sentimentals in "cold storage" until DS and any future kids are old enough not to break or worry about damage to them. Our tree now is super kid friendly.
My mom does the whole nine yards and has a huge tree. It's lovely, but takes her weeks to put it up and take it all down. I just don't want to do it in my own home. Plus, we really don't have the storage space for that much in this house!
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Post by jlynnbarth on Dec 3, 2015 4:09:41 GMT
Yes! We put our house up for sale this summer so I went through all my decor for every holiday (there was tons!) and we had a moving sale that I got rid of lots of it. What I didn't sell went out for donation. Both of my kids are adults and neither of them live near me, so it's just dh and I. I kept my snowmen for the mantle, a nativity scene and my tree decor. I also have some outdoor lights and a couple large items for the porch and that is it. I will put out my hot cocoa tray on the kitchen table with candy canes and call that holiday decor. I'm just not into it at this point in life. Once I have grandkids things could change, but as of now.... Less is more.
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Post by peano on Dec 3, 2015 4:22:11 GMT
I did a big purge last year taking everything down. My tastes have changed a lot since I started amassing decorations when we got married. I love using simple natural decorations--this year I'm making a garland from dried orange slices, cedar branches from our yard and twine. I'm so over the bloated, over the top decor of the 90s.
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marianne
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Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Dec 3, 2015 5:06:00 GMT
I have! We've purged a good bit of stuff in the past two years, especially the older stuff. My tastes have changed and some of it I never did like, but kept because someone was kind or sweet enough to give it to us. I love the season and decorating, but we had accumulated way too much. We gave our 7.5 foot lighted tree to our granddaughter and are quite content with a smaller 4 foot one. Much easier to decorate and change up the theme.
I still like to decorate the mantel, around the house, etc. and the house still looks and feels festive, but I don't go to nearly all the trouble I used to.
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Post by Drew on Dec 3, 2015 5:15:11 GMT
I would love to do this but I recently watched a hoarders episode where the guy hoarded because his mama threw away too much stuff when he was a kid and I thought, no, I don't want the kids to be like, "where's the painted noodle ornament I made in preschool?" and then they become an instant hoarder, eventually living in a moldy house filled with ornaments and I'm to blame.
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Post by marykate on Dec 3, 2015 5:17:01 GMT
I really need to downsize; and then to forbid myself from purchasing another Christmas ornament ever again.
I have too much Christmas stuff! and I lack the storage space, too.
Seriously, if I were to put out every Christmas-themed item that I currently own, my living room would look like one of those Santa's Workshop displays at the mall.
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perumbula
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Jun 26, 2014 18:51:17 GMT
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Post by perumbula on Dec 3, 2015 5:21:25 GMT
I never went all out. My kids have wanted me to, but only so they can enjoy looking at it. They don't enjoy helping put it up. I don't have room to store all of that stuff, so my Christmas decor fits in four small boxes. We do a real tree every year so I don't have to store a tree. I have stockings and stocking hangers, enough decorations to over do the tree, and a few things to add to the top of the piano. That's enough for me.
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Grom Pea
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Jun 27, 2014 0:21:07 GMT
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Post by Grom Pea on Dec 3, 2015 5:27:43 GMT
Man, i can't even get to the Christmas decorations because they're under the platform bed in the guest room and i piled stuff there all year "to take care of later" now i have to clean to get in there but I'm supposed to be making a big art project for preschool, we're having an open house and I'm helping to make a walk through gingerbread house. I'm not even sure what's down there but I have zero space for new stuff. I'd like to downsize some stuff but i always think i should find it a new home and never can get at it in time to find takers before Christmas and then no one wants to store it all year for next year, so my collection stays the same. ..
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 3, 2015 5:51:20 GMT
I decorate 1 room. I have too many decorations, but I don't put them all up. This year, I did more of a Coca-Cola Christmas theme. Last year, I pulled out mostly red and white and put up some Christmas Village pieces. Next year may be more of the sentimental stuff.
I also have many items I need to donate or throw away.
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Post by katiekaty on Dec 3, 2015 7:12:36 GMT
Last year I downsized. I didn't pull anything out of storage. I went to Walmart, bought a 4 foot prelit tree, several dozen small ornament, some pretty little icicle ornaments, a new small star for the top, a tree skirt, and that was it. Came home pulled out a small table, set the skirt on it, tree, decorated it, and done. The mantle got decorated all the fabulous two peas Christmas cards. Oldest DS was having none it since I was even planning on wrapping presents last year, and found some small boxes and wrapped up some empties (I gave everyone gift cards or large presents and they got them before Christmas). I was able to save everything, including the fake presents and tree skirt in the tree box, and voila, instant Christmas in a box! Ready to this year. Took me about an hour to assemble. Love it. The only thing that I may bring out is my count-downs. I have a collection of about 20 different Christmas countdown calenders and I did missed those last year. But if I don't get to no big deal. I don't mind the smalltre with less that45 ornaments on it. The big tree had close to 800. THAT is the kind of downsizing I did! 10 foot tree to a 4 foot (on a good day?? It really is more like 3 1/2 feet-ok 4 feet if you count the STAR!). My kind of NEW Christmas and everyone just has to fall into place.
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hannahruth
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Post by hannahruth on Dec 3, 2015 10:56:52 GMT
Having just dragged in nine totes from the garage to decorate this year I have decided that ALL decorations need to be downsized.
After New Year I will be going through everything and either donating or dumping what I no longer require.
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styxgirl
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Post by styxgirl on Dec 3, 2015 11:31:56 GMT
A few years ago, my DH bought the BIGGEST Christmas tree he could find. We have a vaulted ceiling and he wanted a tall one. I think it's like 12 ft tall. It's a huge PITA to drag out, put together and decorate.
A couple of year's ago, I got a rotating Christmas tree stand. Once that tree is up, decorated and rotating, it is AMAZING! Last year, I did these read ribbons, crisscrossing all around the tree. It was stunning! Like out of a magazine.
It's so amazing that last year, I didn't take it down until after St. Patrick's Day. (You read that right ...)
I'm NOT organized in many areas of my life, but that tree and our Christmas ornaments are very well organized. All of the ornaments are sentimental ones and putting the tree up each year is like going down memory lane. That's why it takes me so long to get it put up and put away each year.
I don't do much else to decorate around the house ... Two Christmas Scentsy warmers and a few sentimental knick-knacks. So the tree is the real Christmas centerpiece.
It takes me forever to find the time to put it away properly. LOL
How many of you have to dust the ornaments off before you put them away?!
The only time I think I will be able to down-size the tree is when my tween and teen DDs get houses of their own and I give them the ornaments we have been collecting each year for their own trees.
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Post by Flibbertigibbet on Dec 3, 2015 12:00:38 GMT
I don't know if I'm getting lazier or just not as excited about Christmas because there are no little kids in the family (mine is the youngest and he will be 14 next week) Last summer I went through most of my holiday stuff and got rid of totes worth. I used to go all out with a village, mantle, decorated the hutch, put stuff in the kitchen and bathroooms, etc. I got rid of about half. It was a lot of work to carry up from the basement and put out, and no one really helped me. Plus we stopped hosting family get togethers because so many family have moved away. This year as I was bringing up decorations, I purged again. I konmarie'd them I guess. I really only kept stuff I truly loved and enjoyed, which it turns out was not that much... We are doing the tree this weekend and I think I'm going to do the same with my ornaments. I usually put bows, beads and ribbons on after the regular ornaments but I'm thinking about just changing to some large red bulbs instead and sorting through and only keeping the special ones. Anyone else do this recently? Just keep the stuff you only really love? Did you find there wasn't much left? I'm finding it weird that it took me so long to realize I didn't care about most of the stuff, even though I'd spend days decoarting/undecorating. I did the exact same thing. All the decorations are down to one tub and they are all special or family pieces. We've been phasing out Christmas here due to lack of interest. We decided to forego it all together this year - no tree or gifts. It's become so consumer oriented and fake. I will purchase gifts for less fortunate kids and that's it. The only decorating I'm doing is putting up the houses in a book shelf. We have a ton of them. They are more of a winter decoration and I can leave them up longer.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Dec 3, 2015 12:23:23 GMT
I don't know that I've downsized so much as I've refined my decorating. At least that's the way I prefer to think of it!
I have had a number of different themes to my holiday decorating and trees over the years -- some I almost cringe to think back on. Lol. Hey, in my defense, all the country-shabby-chic stuff was all the rage at one time. All that stuff is long gone.
Now, I still do two full trees, two small tabletop trees, mantle decor including the stockings, door wreathes, and centerpieces for both the breakfast and dining room tables. But with decorations that have been culled down to only what I love the most supplemented by a few new things added through the years.
I love the changed look that the holiday decor adds to the house. And I love it when I put all that stuff away and get my house back. Best of both worlds, I guess!
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Post by baslp on Dec 3, 2015 12:23:56 GMT
Since we will be going away to celebrate Xmas , I decided to buy a small table top tree. I found a Santa at Kohls to put with it. I am calling it our Xmas corner.
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Post by anxiousmom on Dec 3, 2015 12:35:14 GMT
I did a big purge last year taking everything down. My tastes have changed a lot since I started amassing decorations when we got married. I love using simple natural decorations--this year I'm making a garland from dried orange slices, cedar branches from our yard and twine. I'm so over the bloated, over the top decor of the 90s. This is what I do. Dried orange slices, shells and sea glass mostly. Found objects tucked in the branches like the air plant things that live in my tree outside. Over all I have simplified for sure. I have a cat the size of a buffalo and he tries to climb the tree, so I table top tree for now. I used to go all out, but as every one has said it was exhausting being trying Martha Stewart my house. It's not me, but I did it when the kids were little. Maybe I will do it again, but for now, I happy with what I do and so are the kids. (the younger boy looked at me with puppy dog eyes last night and asked me when I was going to put up a tree. I guess I will get on that today. )
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