Holiday

[Marsha2003]

Some years I do less and some years more depending on how close Thanksgiving and Christmas are together and our travel schedule.  We don't put up a tree and never have because all of our gifts are at my parent's house under their tree as that's where we spend Christmas.

Thanksgiving is early this year so I have time to decorate as much as I want.  Yay!  I get to use all the beautiful things I've bought as-is over the past few months.  The only negative is that I have to travel after Christmas, so the decorations will stay out after New Year's which I don't like.  I prefer to take them down in the week following Christmas.

[Susan Louise]

---

@software wrote:

Maybe a bit less, due to the feral cat.

I would have to re-decorate every day.

He's still pretty wild.

He's sweet when he wants to be.

I'm told he's going through his "terrible two's"

@pinky ann

---

@software  So does that mean two curtain rods detached? 2 wrapped gifts redesigned? 

I'll be you are beside yourself waiting for the terrific threes...

Three of these...three of those...LOL

You are so lucky to be able to have a cat. In our small home there is no good place for a litterbox. 

I'm sure your furry friend brings you much joy

[lucymo]

I will probably do about what I do every year if I don't get lazy before it's done.  I've donated a lot in the past few years but bring in more than I take out so I'm not accomplishing anything in the purging of it all. I hope to do more donating as I decorate this season and pare down the stash which is way too much.

One think I am doing a bit different this year is using a lot of my everyday decor and just adding Christmas touches.  I think I like the idea too as there's less hunting for a place to put the everyday things until after the holidays. Maybe there's hope for me after all. 

[GCR18]

I have been thinking about scaling back this year, not that I decorate alot of areas.  I love holiday decor, but I won't get to it for a couple weeks.  I'm going to use items that can be kept out through January.  

[jeanlake]

Moved this year and let go of decor that I no longer used. Bought decor for front door last week, will put out my lighted village and snowman collection soon. All will serve dual purpose as winter decor through end of February. For a few decades now the materialism and extended days of the holidays has been a turn off for me. Simplicity is key for me to enjoy this time of year.  

[Nataliesgramma]

I do a very large Christmas village and 2 smaller ones around the house. I am doing less detail in them this year....Makes them take wayyyyyy too long to set up and all the loose snow sprinkled all over is just too messy anymore.

My 5 yr old Granddaughter is'helping' me this year and she isn't putting figures and trees in them like I used to....but that's OK we are making memories instead....

[pinky ann]

@Susan Louise, @lucymo, You both have bought lots of beautiful decor, so I imagine it has to be really tough to choose what to use and what not. I don't think it's a certain age to do less, or not, more of what will make the house feel special this year, and how can I best display it. I can't wait for the photos to be posted when everyone gets their decorating done.

Paring down for me has become second nature this past few years! lol I'm glad to use what I have, but have bought a piece or two in the last couple of years. It just has to replace something else now, rather than adding on more.

@Nataliesgramma  I remember how stunning your decorations were in your pictures! Having a wonderful DGD help is such a gift in itself that what gets done or doesn't won't matter because you got to decorate together.

Thank you all for your posts!

pinky

[pinky ann]

@GCR18, @jeanlake,   Having decorations that will last past the holidays is a wonderful plan. I have a few pieces that will do that, along with regular decor that will fit the winter season. I really like the softness of candles, and use mainly the flameless. I hope you'll have fun doing your decorating as much as enjoying the finished results.

@software, Good luck with your kitty! While ours aren't feral, we have 4. There are some things that I just plain do not do as they'll never leave them alone. The fake berries are a huge one! lol 3 out of 4 think they're the tops! I use them on my worktable/island as I know they're safe, or on a wall decoration. The glass ornaments have been on hiatus the past two years, so I'm considering another go this year to see if they'll leave them alone. Still under consideration for sure! lol

 Thanking you all for posting! I hope I haven't missed anyone, and apologize if I have. I love reading how you've decided what to do and why, and I wish everyone a fun time decorating! This year, as I had my coffee one morning, I tried to picture how things would look where, and actually wrote it all down. If I don't use these ideas it's fine, but for once it's a great starting point. I've actually written down notes of things to change last year after the holidays, so I hope to have more fun and minimal stress this year. pinky

[pinky ann]

@LIG1  Good Morning, Sweetie! I'll be out for a part of the day, but will check in here as soon as I get home. Do you have any snow? The ground is covered here, and it's the 4th time it's been in the past two weeks. You're in a warmer area than I am, so maybe I'll have to post snow pictures if we get any actual inches of snow. LOL See you later! pinky