# Doing less and less holiday decorating with each passing year



## Leann (Nov 3, 2019)

There was a time (about 20 years ago) when every room in my home was decorated for Christmas. I loved it but it was exhausting taking it all down when the holidays were over. After my ex-husband and I divorced (and by then, our children were adults and living on their own), I did less decorating but it still looked festive. Now I live in a small home in the country and I will be the one traveling to be with my family this Christmas. I decided that I no longer needed many of the decorations I had been saving so I donated boxes and boxes to a local charity. I had a beautiful Balsam Hill artificial tree that I decided to sell. Over the past few years I have embraced a "less is more" mindset. My days of lighting up the night sky with so many lights on my house and the trees are long over. Hopefully the decorations I donated will make others happy and the tree will become part of another family's annual tradition.

I'm content now to be more of an observer.


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## Llynn (Nov 3, 2019)

Agree


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## Catlady (Nov 3, 2019)

When young I used to love Christmas and the decorating that went with it.  Now I'm doing good if I hang a wreath at the front door.


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## applecruncher (Nov 3, 2019)

Yeah, me too.  First week in December I get my Christmas snow globe and back door jingle bells out of the closet.


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## Keesha (Nov 3, 2019)

I still put my lights and tree up but certainly not criticizing those who don’t.


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## Gary O' (Nov 4, 2019)

When the kids were small, we'd make a big deal outa going to a tree farm, riding the tractor out to cut a tree, throw it on the flatbed and ride the tractor back to the farmhouse, sip hot drinks, go home, and spend the rest of the day getting the tree up and decorated.
The kids loved making ornaments, stringing popcorn, and 'helping' to decorate the tree.

Now? We have wunna those plastic umbrella trees

Decorate? Foomp...merry Xmas

Dec 26.....flump, get ready for New Years


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## treeguy64 (Nov 4, 2019)

We light our menorah for the eight nights, put up two metal Christmas bells, decorate a small tree that's been growing inside for the last four years. 

Outside, we have a "Happy Holidays!" sign that now has become a permanent fixture on the side of the garage. It used to have the letters lit with LED rope lights. Some burned out until it read,  "oy Holidays!" That was a scream, so we left it up. Now, it's an unlit metal sign. That's fine.


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## Pappy (Nov 4, 2019)

We hang a wreath on the door and put up my two foot tall tree.


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## HazyDavey (Nov 4, 2019)

Yup same here.. When the kids where little we did do a lot more, getting a tree, decorating it, and the house inside and out. Nowadays we just get our small plastic pre-lite tree out of the box and plug it in. The missus will still sprinkle some decorations around the front room.


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## Liberty (Nov 4, 2019)

PVC said:


> When young I used to love Christmas and the decorating that went with it.  Now I'm doing good if I hang a wreath at the front door.


Hey, PVC, ditto for us.  Got a nice armoire that I keep the fancy "pop ups" in.  The remnants of the nice holiday "stuff". Gave the rest away. What we kept even includes a small but beautiful lighted tree with red velvet bows and cardinals flying around on it.  Hey, got a couple plug in bubble lights too...what's not to love, huh.  What's Christmas without bubble lights.  Nice and easy, instant holidays!


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## Catlady (Nov 4, 2019)

treeguy64 said:


> decorate a small tree that's been growing inside for the last four years.



I tried growing one a long time ago and killed it.     Now I have cats, they would use it for a swatting toy.


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## JustBonee (Nov 4, 2019)

applecruncher said:


> Yeah, me too.  First week in December I get my Christmas snow globe and back door jingle bells out of the closet.



I have a large jingle bell  strip  that I hang on my front door.  .... only once I put it up,  it stays there  year round..  lol  ... my alarm system


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## Ruthanne (Nov 4, 2019)

A few years back I hung waterfall lights in the window.  At one of my last places I decorated heavily and it was fun and so festive looking.  This year I have a wreath on the door that I keep up all year long now.  I have a matching mat in front of the door.  I like how they look.  I don't know if I will ever get into decorating again.  Oh yes I have a 2 foot tall tree with embedded lights in it.  I may get it out of storage this year when the mood strikes me but not just yet..seems to early now.


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## Catlady (Nov 4, 2019)

Here in Tucson there is a neighborhood called Winterhaven where all the neighbors are practically required to go all out with Christmas decorations.  They actually have cops managing the traffic during a week or so around Christmas where people walk or drive around admiring all the decorations.  Some of the neighbors spend a fortune on their electric bills.  Can you imagine any of us living there?

This year is from Dec 14 to the 29th, from 6-10pm, seems like the tradition is dying off, though.


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## Don M. (Nov 4, 2019)

We hosted the family Christmas for many years, and decorated accordingly.  However, over the past decade, or so, our grown daughters have taken on that holiday, and we don't even put up a Christmas tree anymore.  With several in-laws, getting everyone together on Christmas day is quite hard to do, so our crew celebrates either a couple of days before, or after.  This year, it looks like our Christmas will be at the oldest daughters house on the 28th, and my wife and I will probably go to the casino on Christmas day to have fun and eat a great meal...weather permitting.


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## Butterfly (Nov 5, 2019)

I don't do much of anything for holiday decoration anymore -- just too much trouble.


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 5, 2019)

A couple of years ago I pared down my holiday decorations so the whole year would fit into one 20 gallon plastic tote.

I think it's time to pare down again to just Christmas and send the other holiday items to the thrift shop.

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, adieu.  ☘


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## Liberty (Nov 5, 2019)

PVC said:


> Here in Tucson there is a neighborhood called Winterhaven where all the neighbors are practically required to go all out with Christmas decorations.  They actually have cops managing the traffic during a week or so around Christmas where people walk or drive around admiring all the decorations.  Some of the neighbors spend a fortune on their electric bills.  Can you imagine any of us living there?
> 
> This year is from Dec 14 to the 29th, from 6-10pm, seems like the tradition is dying off, though.


There's a subdivision like that not far from where we live too.  Can't imagine buying a house in there and having that hanging over your head year after year. Think it would be "too, too", to keep it up.  We had a farmer near us that used to get a cherry picker and decorate his gigantic tree in front of his house.  You could see it for miles!


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## Ruth n Jersey (Nov 5, 2019)

I gave up decorating a few years ago. All I need now is my Nativity set my Grandpa made, a wreath in the front bay window and our little 2 foot Christmas tree for our sitting room. I even found a box big enough to put it away decorated.All I have to do is plug it in.
We go to my daughters home for Christmas and get into the holiday spirit playing with the grand kids.


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## StarSong (Nov 5, 2019)

We have four or five large-ish (30-35 guests per) parties from just after Thanksgiving until the week between Christmas and New Years and doll the house up accordingly.  Hubby does most of the decorating while I bake, bake, bake the cookies.  After the holidays we work together to put everything away.

Every room gets decorated except the bedrooms and master bath. We stopped outside decorations with the exception of a couple of very large wreaths on our front doors. I prefer my sweetie spend as little time on a ladder as possible.


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## Catlady (Nov 5, 2019)

StarSong said:


> We stopped outside decorations with the exception of a couple of very large wreaths on our front doors. I prefer my sweetie spend as little time on a ladder as possible.


Some people in my neighborhood just leave the lights up all year round, when unlit they're hard to see.


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## Leann (Nov 5, 2019)

PVC said:


> Some people in my neighborhood just leave the lights up all year round, when unlit they're hard to see.


I did that one year, too, but the darn squirrels chewed though the wires.


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## Catlady (Nov 5, 2019)

Leann said:


> I did that one year, too, but the darn squirrels chewed though the wires.


The one thing I wonder about here in Tucson is how often they need to replace those wires, the sun is so hot here that it damages almost everything.


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## Patio Life (Nov 5, 2019)

I stopped all the decorating when my kid was grown and gone.
Makes life so much easier.


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## Liberty (Nov 5, 2019)

Leann said:


> I did that one year, too, but the darn squirrels chewed though the wires.


You needed to call a "squirrel whisperer"...lol.


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## Packerjohn (Nov 5, 2019)

At our age, I believe that less is better.  More is not better contrary to the advertisers.  HA!


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## Trade (Nov 6, 2019)

I'd do less if I could. 

But I'm already at zero.


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## Liberty (Nov 6, 2019)

Trade said:


> I'd do less if I could.
> 
> But I'm already at zero.


Just be sure to stay out of the "holiday search & seizure war zones"...lol!


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## debodun (Nov 11, 2019)

I do no interior decorating. Who's gonna see it? When my mom was alive (she passed in 2006), she went all-out, even with pine roping on the staircase bannister. Of course she did a little whip cracking to get me to help. I just don't have the ambition to do it anymore and it makes me sad to have to take them down. I hang a wreath on the front door and I'm done! Easy to take in, too, when the wind is blowing and it's -10° in January.


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## Liberty (Nov 11, 2019)

debodun said:


> I do no interior decorating. Who's gonna see it? When my mom was alive (she passed in 2006), she went all-out, even with pine roping on the staircase bannister. Of course she did a little whip cracking to get me to help. I just don't have the ambition to do it anymore and it makes me sad to have to take them down. I hang a wreath on the front door and I'm done! Easy to take in, too, when the wind is blowing and it's -10° in January.
> View attachment 80926


deb...my mom died in 2006 too!  So know what you mean.  She left a big hole there when it comes to Christmas decorating...lol.


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## Packerjohn (Nov 11, 2019)

Me thinks that Christmas, commercially speaking, is pure madness.  Some folks putting out their lights in October.  The ice is melting, the seas are rising, the temperature is going up, California is burning, the world is suffering from over population & what do we do?  We shop, shop, shop, shop, shop until we drop.  We are like that proverbial ostrich with it's head in the sand hoping that Christmas will make all the problems go away.  HA!  On December 26, it will be the same ole' world with the same ole' problems but more of them.  Then on January 21st come those "lovely" letters from American Express, Visa & Master Card telling you that you better pay or they gonna get you with their high interest rates.  Hey, I'm not Scrooge.  I don't mind family & friends getting together nor do I mind people celebrating the birth of Christ,  but I'm here to tell you that I got of that stupid Merry-Go-Round several years ago & I am a better person for it.


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## PopsnTuff (Nov 11, 2019)

My 12 y.o. granddaughter now decorates the whole house with bookoo xmas stuff I've accumulated from over the years...then I switch it up after she leaves, with her permission of course, lol...


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