Holiday

[RedTop]

With 4 adults in the house, we decorate just enough to acknowledge the holiday.   Big lighted wreath and tree on the front porch, wreath on the front door, star near the garage.   Tree in the living room, holiday runner on the coffee table with an open bible.   Dining room table covered by a holiday tablecloth with a centerpiece.   Holiday towels in the baths and kitchen.   And that's all I can tolerate.  

When the girls were small, they expected to use every decoration we owned, inside and out, and we did, to make them happy.  They had mini trees, as well as whatever decorations they chose to display in their rooms.   However, as they got older, the girls realized it wasn't near as much fun taking the decorations down to the basement, and carefully packing them away, so they are content with the basics, and their favorites now.   Teacher daughter decorates her classroom for Christmas right after Thanksgiving, and takes everything down that last day before Christmas break, so she has her fill of decorations at school.    Trucker daughter has such a few days home for the holidays, she likes to see her favorite things displayed, but doesn't want every surface covered anymore.    I like the outside decorations, the tree, open bible, and the dining room table; pretty much anything else, like our wooden soldiers, small sleigh and reindeer, 35 inch Santa, get in my way when I clean.   I don't like clutter and this is what it becomes after a few short days.

[Mominohio]

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@SunValley wrote:

So many responses from those who keep it simple, I wonder who is buying all of QVC's Christmas decor! I too have scaled back and prefer a few nice pieces rather than a lot of small items. I have found the unpacking and packing back up to be too time consuming and I like a feel of simplicity.

My mantle and tree are the focus. I have a few tabletop items in the living room but not on every surface. I don't decorate the bathrooms, bedrooms, or office. I have several Old World Christmas Santa lights and choose one to use each year in the kitchen.

Over the years I have collected some beautiful porcelain angels, blown glass tree toppers, and mercury glass trees. I usually rotate using them on the mantle to make each year a bit different; I don't use it all at once. I vary the heights of the mantle display using various pedestals and decorative Christmas boxes. I change them up depending if the look is colorful or if I use a champagne, silver, and white theme. My tree is the hodge podge of my life. I scaled back to a 5' tree so I can handle it without help. I don't plan on buying anything decor related for this season.

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@SunValley

I know I've gotten to the point where I can't use all my Christmas decor at one time either, and that becomes the problem for me.

In my perfect world, I would get my decor 'set' and simply use the same things in the same place year after year, because I have it all down 'perfectly' and 'wouldn't change a thing'. And last year, I pretty much got there. Loved everything I'd done, thought any more would be 'too much' and thought 'this should last me the rest of my life'.

But I know what happens. I think up new things, I come up with new ideas about things, where they would look good, how to remix them. But when I do, I find I need to dig to the back of the closet for that one thing (or group of things) that would now make a display the 'perfect and forever' thing.

I love the creative process of decorating and changing things up. And to do that, you have to have something to work with. Having things on hand to work with, leads to too much stuff, oftentimes. 

So the quest for the perfect balance continues. Having enough stuff to satisfy one's urge to create and decorate with a different look every so often, vs keeping it all under control and manageable (whatever that means to each individual).

[SunValley]

@Mominohio the nice part of the creative process is that opportunity to use your imagination, and certainly there is the joy of rediscovery when you change it up and it works! No right or wrong either...the common limits seem to be storage, mobility, and of course, budget. There is also the internal struggle of keeping the sentimental pieces up each year to please kids and your own desire to move from whimsical to perhaps elegant. One child says"its not Christmas if you don't put the plastic elves up" and then you do it! Lol. I know I will never have the perfect vignette or look and then never change again because I like mixing it up. My goal is to enjoy the decorating process and stop before the room looks like a Christmas retail showroom. Like another poster said, when it crosses over into clutter, I find it no longer pleasing. 

I do like the planning. This year all I have purchased were the TSV fairy lights because they can be used year round and can replace tea lights in some of my hurricanes and bowls. Pretty, versatile, and no soot. I am sure people with pets and small children find them safer too. It will be fun to see how they can be used for holiday. I am trying to move away from things that require C batteries due to the cost. Wish Val's spheres used double A's, not C. Have fun decorating everyone!

[Mominohio]

@SunValley

You summed it all up perfectly!

[Spurt]

@Mominohio

WOW!!!  Just reading your post made me tired---LOL!!! That's a TON of decorating and LOTS of work, but I bet it looks BEAUTIFUL and really has you living and loving the Christmas season!!!  WTG!!!

I just have a small condo so every room is decorated...... of course the piece de reistance---the tree!!!, the rest of the living room has a VPH church and house and bottle brush trees on the curio cabinet.....garland and angels on my amoire with an angel riding a reindeer on top....and some Jim Shore Christmas items sprinkled here and there on the shelves.....vinette on the coffee table, nativity on the end table with couple of Jim Shore angels displayed there......It's snowmen and cardinals and wintry theme in my kitchen.  Nice dispay on my dining room table that includes Luminaras....In the bathroom---Christmas shower curtain, battery operated lights around the mirror....and Christmas decor and luminaras here and there....and in my bedroom small angel tree and Christmas quilt and shams....and couple of Jim Shore angel on the night stand.  

I only do minimal outdoor decorating.....I used to go all out---there's a contest every year in our neighborhood---but instead of participating I just enjoy looking to see what my neighbors have done---some are very creative.....The only thing I do outdoors is a lighted BL garland around my door and a VPH wreath, and Christmas door mat.  On my side patio I string another lighted garland......I hang a Christmas flag.....and I also put a fake poinsetta on the patio table...(have to use fake because of my kitties)......

[Spurt]

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@Goldengate8361 wrote:

Nothing! Except....last year, I bought some x-mas stockings from lands end....so now I have one holiday decoration----the first in my life. I've always really disliked holiday decorations of any kind. Never bought or owned a tree or any fake holly.

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@Goldengate8361

You better watch out GOLDENGATE---my sister was much like you---she was so BAH HUMBUG about the season and decorating in general ---but then after seeing my home decorated and her friends' home decorated she got a bit jealous and wondered why no one wanted to go to her home on Christmas (no decorations, no guests!).....Then she got "the bug" and although she does a toned down version she does do a tree.....has a wreath above her fireplace, garlands around her windows.....a nativity, and some Christmas towels in her kitchen....and has a hurricane and Christmas runner on her dinning room table---So watch out---the Christmas bug may bite you

[151949]

I lke to get the tree and all the decorations out and invite a few friends over for a decorating party. Everyone is encouraged to use their imagination and the decorations we have to create something new I had not thought of. We gossip, decorate and eat & drink. All for fun and I have had some great new ideas from it.

[qualitygal]

@Mominohio, I now am getting a kick out of how I decorate. I like to put some smaller things where most eyes only fall on rare occasions. I know they're there. I like to have someone accidentally see something in these places and go, wow, she even puts some things there!!! It's just a fun thing to do. It's not like an Easter egg hunt, so even if I forget one item, it won't go rotten. But I managed to remember where they are. It does help that I did get help to downsize a few years back.

[Winter Holiday]

Every inch of my apartment is decorated for Christmas from the bedrooms to the hallways to the bathroom

[ILUVChristmas]

bathrooms, kitchen, home office area, living room, hallway, outside...LOVE it and hope ti never stop! Same thing with Halloween and Thanksgiving (only wreath on the door for Thanksgiving).