How much do you "decorate" for Christmas?

**acabin42** · 10-22-2011, 05:12 PM

Including indoor and outdoor? Since there is no one here but DH and me for Christmas, we don't do much, if any, decorating...... BUT I LOVE to go see the Christmas lights in town....

**pollypurebred39** · 10-22-2011, 05:26 PM

I don't think I'm even going to drag down the Christmas decorations this year. I think I'm just going to grab a branch from the yard, stick it in my stoneware vase, then decorate it with my FV ornaments and call it a day.

Maybe I'll cut some holly from the bushes and fill in the bottom of the vase. Not feeling very Christmasie this year.

**acabin42** · 10-22-2011, 05:46 PM

good to see I'm not alone in my thinking....LOL..

I have already told my grown children that I just can't do Christmas gifts this year. I don't have the money or energy. And that is ok, I will be thinking about family and the "reason for the season", and DH and I will fix a nice dinner.

I will probably watch some Christmas movies.

**brennasmom** · 10-22-2011, 06:11 PM

We always have a tree and a few indoor decorations here and there... nothing outside except a wreath on the front door.

**dean** · 10-22-2011, 06:37 PM

Outside-very sparse-some pine and red bows an old sled and old skis

Inside is a different story.
Living room tree-dining room tree-kitchen tree-village-mantle-island-bathroom tree-yes I said bathroom. I love it, dh loves it, kids love it and so do grandkids. I love Christmas decorating and start in early Nov. to get it all done. Haven't purchased anything new in years. I just reuse and incorporate things I have, baskets, pinecones, old dishware from my great-grandmother, etc.
We have scaled down on the gift giving . Only our own family now. No sisters, brothers, etc. Through the years our income just keeps getting smaller and we only do what we can. And everyone understands. I decorate and watch White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas and A Christmas Story.
Family is all together on Christmas Eve at our house and we go to DS' for Christmas Day dinner. Everyone pulls their resources for some great meals. Free turkeys (3) and free hams (4) from employers and grocery store bonuses, get us through Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and Easter.
I don't judge anyone who can't or doesn't want to do the holiday thing, but I myself love it. When it gets to be a chore for me, then I too will stop. Until then Merry Christmas to you all in any way you wish to celebrate or not celebrate, Only you know what you can do.
But no matter what you choose to do...Jesus is the reason for the season.

**pollypurebred39** · 10-22-2011, 06:49 PM

Sounds wonderful Dean! I'll live vicariously through you Dean.

**mndtrp** · 10-22-2011, 07:04 PM

The wife wants more and more every year. It started with a tree and some garland. Then some figurines and more indoor lights. After that, some outdoor lights. Last year, she mentioned it to the neighbors, who gave me even more lights to put up outside. I'm sure she'll find a way for me to spend a week putting everything up.

If it was up to me, there wouldn't be anything but the tree, which she would be putting up.

**Trishagirl** · 10-22-2011, 07:44 PM

I decorate a little on our porch w/garland w/white lights and and a led colored wreath on the house. I have a red & green noel wreath on the door. I have a 7ft tall artificial tree w/led colored lights. I decorate the living room w/various candles and a nativity scene etc. I change out my huge wreath in my avatar w/christmas arrangement flowers. I also decorate the kitchen table and above the cabinets w/garland and pointsettia pics.

**Debbie-cat** · 10-23-2011, 12:21 AM

Originally Posted by dean

Outside-very sparse-some pine and red bows an old sled and old skis

Inside is a different story.
Living room tree-dining room tree-kitchen tree-village-mantle-island-bathroom tree-yes I said bathroom. I love it, dh loves it, kids love it and so do grandkids. I love Christmas decorating and start in early Nov. to get it all done. Haven't purchased anything new in years. I just reuse and incorporate things I have, baskets, pinecones, old dishware from my great-grandmother, etc.
We have scaled down on the gift giving . Only our own family now. No sisters, brothers, etc. Through the years our income just keeps getting smaller and we only do what we can. And everyone understands. I decorate and watch White Christmas, It's a Wonderful Life, Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas and A Christmas Story.
Family is all together on Christmas Eve at our house and we go to DS' for Christmas Day dinner. Everyone pulls their resources for some great meals. Free turkeys (3) and free hams (4) from employers and grocery store bonuses, get us through Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas and Easter.
I don't judge anyone who can't or doesn't want to do the holiday thing, but I myself love it. When it gets to be a chore for me, then I too will stop. Until then Merry Christmas to you all in any way you wish to celebrate or not celebrate, Only you know what you can do.
But no matter what you choose to do...Jesus is the reason for the season.

NO WAY!!!! You love Emmett Otter's Jugband Christmas too???!!! I LOVE that movie!!! That is a must see each year.....I watch all the ones you listed dean as well as The Grinch and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

I like dean, LOVE the Christmas season. Decorations inside and out, baking for a month, gingerbread houses, lights, everything!!!

I love giving gifts. It makes me so happy and I only pay with cash. I have been making alot more homemade ones lately and really enjoy it.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

**pollypurebred39** · 10-23-2011, 12:31 AM

I'll be living vicariously through you too Debbie!

**dean** · 10-23-2011, 10:33 AM

Oh deb we do think alike. I also watch NL Christmas Vacation and the Grinch, also a fan of Frosty and Rudolph when they air on tv.

Come on polly-at least drag out that old wreath and spruce it up with pine from an old pine tree near you, find an old plaid piece of clothing and tear up a big strip and make a bow out of it and hang it in your house. The pine smell will be your holiday mood enhancer.

**MrsClaus** · 10-23-2011, 11:12 AM

Well, we've been decorating ouside for over 20 years.

Dh takes the week before Thanksgiving as a vacation week. It takes him and I that week plus the week of Thanksgiving to decorate the yard. It takes one day from daylight to dark to lay the extension courds. We have between 800 and 1,000 lighted plastic figures in the yard, lights in the trees and on the house and garage. Dh even built a small, working merry-go-round with lights for the display.

We do not solicate donations for the display. I just budget all year long to pay the electric bill which I can say has not really gone up that much year over year because of the changes dh has been able to make with lightbulbs and better wiring each year.

Inside depends on how I feel. We have at least 3 trees and some years as many as 7 if I feel like decorating them.

People have often asked why we do the display. It started when I was pregnant with our oldest and eventually took on a life of its own. We know that there are people who drive to see it every year. Dh has always said that he would never ask anyone to pay for it. He wanted everyone to be able to bring their kids to see it, even if they weren't well off.

**MissSeetonFan** · 10-23-2011, 06:57 PM

When I lived in a small apartment, I had a roommate who worked for Target. She would put up two or three different sized trees and use the Christmas decorations from Target's previous years. Snowflakes. Whatever was the decoration that was Christmas-y but not covered in Target symbols. So I didn't need to decorate. I decided to get a mini tree and some small decorations just for my bedroom.

Then I got married. We always traveled to family for Christmas the first few years, so no real need to decorate. So we used the mini tree and a couple strings of mini lights.

Eventually, we got a Nativity set. We got a long string of ordinary sized lights but we kind of like the mini tree. It is a tradition for us. The kids love to decorate it right there on the kitchen table at eye level and then we put it up where people can see it.

We now also do paper chains and other fun stuff for the kids. One year we even made a Nativity scene and a Christmas tree out of construction paper and glued them together for the kids room.

We hang larger decorations we have collected over the years (that would go on a regular tree) on the walls and on/around the paper chains.

**pat in east texas** · 10-23-2011, 07:40 PM

Less each year. Used to go whole hog - big real tree and all the trimmings and stuff all over the house. Last year I had a tabletop real tree in front of the living room mirror, and what's left of 56 years of ornaments here and there on the tree and around the house. This year I think I'll have a big poinsettia in front of the mirror - don't have to decorate something that colorful. Most of the decorations I have left are Grinch-themed, So there will be green grinches here and there.

**rosey7415** · 10-23-2011, 07:55 PM

i used to go crazy at christmas. but i am finding less is more. i had a huge artificial tree that i decorated victorian. but every year had to move a large table out of the room for the tree. so last year we just put up the top half of the tree on the table. dh has back problems and with my spinal stenosis....i am no help with heavy lifting either. so less work for us. i picked the prettiest of my victorian ornaments and it looked just as good. it was in our large front window in the parlor and from the street it still looked like a full tree. i have a fireplace mantel that i decorate with various (victorian) santa kings. i weave small white lights through them. i made a wreath with santa king heads and put that on the inside of the door. (looks much better than it sounds....lol) outside we have a large blow up santa which is a must have as my dh is santa. he santa's for the local daycares and they know that he lives here......so that is a must every year....lol usually a huge elegant wreath on the front door with a spot light. i have 4 tha i rotate each year. we used to have icicle lights up but not wanting dh up on the ladder anymore.