How much do you decorate for Christmas?

[peach]

In our first, tiny house I put up decor in pretty much every room. The last house I just did the main living areas- kitchen, dining, living room.

This year I am pretty sure I am just doing a tree, a big wooden sign above our piano, and decking out the front door/porch area. I hate putting christmas decor away and I find usually by a few days before Christmas I am so tired of the clutter and crap everywhere I cannot wait to take it down. It looks pretty at first and then it just seems tacky and annoying to me...(in my own house...I love christmas decor I just can't live with it I guess). Plus I will be almost 7 months pregnant so I doubt I will give a rats ass to be honest.

I think I will do up a gorgeous tree, and spend money on making the entry beautiful with a wreath and garland and lights, and call it good. Simplify, do it classy and minimal.

How about you?? do you deck out all the rooms? Multiple trees? Keep it simple?

[emoflamingo]

We have had just a little tree in our house. I tend to do more "wintery" than Christmas, just because I don't HAVE to take it down. If I get tired of it, I switch some of it around. Of course, I have a tiny little shelf in this house and I'll have a full-fledged mantel in the new house!

[TBM]

It varies from year to year, and if we are actually going to be home for Christmas, but we could have anywhere from one to five trees, stuff outside, and a zillion nativity sets and other stuff around.

I love Christmas decor and frequently leave it up fo some time after the holiday...particularly if we weren't home for the holiday. I am not going to tell how long we kept or little white tree with red and silver ornaments up after last Christmas. Lets just say that there are a lot of holidays that red/white work for.


ETA:
I remember how magical it all was when I was little and I still feel that way, so I love all of the Christmas clutter.

Yesterday I saw Colin Cowie on a shopping channel, and he said that 6 weeks out of the year we have an excuse for excess and that kind of kitsch, so just sit back and enjoy it while you can.

[Deleted]

I do a lot but it's simple stuff I can leave up most of the winter, if that makes sense? So it's one day of work but I can live with it until spring.

I had two trees, but it was too much work and one was fake and from my post college apt. It got really sad looking after last year so I donated it. I'm glad to only have one, and I'll just buy the best real tree possible from now on.

I do wreaths on the all the doors and H tricks out the outside with lights. (It changes every year from complicated to simple..we're still in negotation this year).

I change out all my vase filler for cranberries and cinnamon sticks on my table and sideboard and in the bathrooms.

I have 3 mercury glass trees I'll trade out for the basket creation currently on my sideboard

The tops of the cabinets get lights and pine garland with cranberries.

I trade out throw pillows and blankets for winter theme (Most of that was gifts and it's cute so I'd use it. I'd never rotate them all on my own otherwise).

I change out the guestroom bedding to something winter floral and ours gets super cheesey snowman sheets. I love them, shut it.

I have some light up chintzy tacky stuff, Rubes adores, but it's like 4 things. In the playroom and her room they go. Super easy to toss back in a box when I'm over it and it makes her happy. That's what Christmas is about.

We have stockings on my banister.

I've really pared down stuff over the years to stuff that I love, so while it's a lot, set up is fast because everything has a home.

My biggest issue is finding a home for my nativity. It was expensive and it's massive. It never looks right anywhere, but I don't worry about how "perfect" baby Jesus is. He just goes where Toddler won't wreck him.

I have an entire village set my mom collected for me. It's beautiful, but I just have no home for it right now. I don't usually put that up. Too much work and I hate the clutter.

[emisi]

I usually go all out in the downstairs living room, foyer and the dining room, plus we decorate the outside of the house. This year, probably not, since we'll be gone the whole week of Christmas visiting family.

[sierramist03]

It depends years to year like last year we went all out but we hosted christmas for DHs side. This year we aren't doing much. This year I'm doing our tree, wreath on the door, lights on our gutters and our buffet/table area. We switched our colors this year from blue and silver to purple and silver so I spent money on a few new things. Also this year I'm not putting up my light up village which I usually do.

[jhawks482]

I definitely don't decorate as much as I used to before having children. I used to decorate the table with a pretty centerpiece, set up little vignettes an side tables, etc, plus the tree. Now, I usually just do a tree, mantle decor, and a few other things that can't be messed with much by the kids. If we had a formal dining room, I'd decorate that really pretty, but we just have an every day table and it would be pointless to even try to put stuff there, lol.
Eta: DS has his own mini-tree in his room, with lights, and I plan on getting a mini tree for DD this year as well.

[amblor]

We do the main areas including dish towels in the kitchen, table items in the dining room, throws and a tree in the living/family room and other decor items on shelves, etc. We don't do outside lights yet but will when the kid(s) are older.

[RoxMonster]

I'm so excited-this is our first Christmas in a house! In our apartment, we could only put up a tree and some inside lights in our front window. NO where to put lights outside.

This year we're hanging lights on the front eave, the front handrail, around the light post out front and on our big tree out front. We'll put the tree in a front window and I bought a bunch of white/silver/gold decorations from Target to put inside.

I'm going to replace our usual dining room table centerpiece a white sparkly tree from Gordmans. I'm also going to put odds and ends in the living room and downstairs, plus stockings on the mantle downstairs. Also, I'm hanging a wreath on the front door.

[bg09]

I like to keep it simple, because our house is small. I usually just put up our fake (and very sad looking) Christmas tree, a few decorations on our console table that is near our small "dining room" table, a few decorations on floating shelves in the living room, change out some of our art that is hanging in the living room area to more wintery things (which I leave up until spring), change out the filler in the small apothecary jar in our main bathroom, a small christmas tree in the guest bedroom, a wreath on the front door and the side door, and simple clear lights along the front roof line.

Next year will be different though, because we are starting construction on our new home in the spring! I will definitely be getting a bigger, nicer Christmas tree for our new house.

[candreco]

I try to put something away for each thing I put out to minimize the clutter. Most holiday stuff is in the LR/DR (tree, nativity on console table, advent wreath on server, Christmasy filler in the candle holder on the dining room table), the family room (mantel, mini tree), and porch (planters, wreath), with some sprinkled around DD's room and the kitchen too.

[pitterwoo]

Christmas is the one holiday that I really decorate for. However, compared to some people I probably still keep it pretty simple. I do the main area downstairs, our fake tree and outside some lights and wreaths on all 3 doors.

[tarheels]

Since DH and I live apart and celebrate Christmas at ILs', I can't decide if I want to decorate my bachelorette pad this year. I'm completely in the Christmas spirit, but I don't know if I want to fool with putting up a tree. What I might do is put wreaths on the windows outside and a garland on the mantel and call it good, maybe add a couple poinsettias.

Although...we're moving next year, and this would be an ideal chance to go through Christmas decor and see what deserves to make the trek...

[mrs.jacinthe]

We put up a tree, some interior garland, and as of last year, we started decorating our deck. (I LOVE to decorate!)

[mrsemilys]

I did a lot last year (first year in our house) because DD wasn't mobile yet and we hosted a big dinner. This year with a 17 mo old and a smaller gathering I'm not going to do as much. I did a ton of garland up the stairs and it was a PITA to do and take down so I'm thinking I'm not going to wrap it and instead drape it with ribbon or something. We do 1 tree and I'll do a small one on the buffet in the dining room, as well as a ceramic one in the formal living room. I have 2 pre-lit trees in urns for outside and I might do a lighted garland over the door outside but that is it.

I did decor in the guest bathroom last year and I doubt I'll do that again....but who knows.

[Deleted]

We really just do a tree in the livingroom, stockings and that is it. On years we host a gathering we put a tree up in the basement too. I am just not a big holiday decorator.

[simpsongal]

I like to go all out. I'll see how much we can do b/c it's alot of work between the inside decor and the outdoor display too.

[Deleted]

I agree Peach! I hate taking that crap down. We caved last year and bought a fake tree. It killed me because I LOVE the smell and thrill of picking a new one, but I just wasn't up for the clean up and needle mess. But I know how much it means to kids so I will probably go all out (and all out in my world is LoTS of fresh greenery and lights, only a little kitschy stuff).

I do have a funny story though, my parent's have good friends that spent a ton of money on a beautifully set up and decorated tree at one of those charity events where decorators do trees to be auctioned. Well, that was 3 years ago and it still sits in the middle of their living room, fully decorated. In 3 years they have never put it away because they don't think they can ever set it up as nicely on their own. Cn you imagine?

[pitterwoo]

Nov 13, 2012 10:36:09 GMT -5 @holly said:

I do have a funny story though, my parent's have good friends that spent a ton of money on a beautifully set up and decorated tree at one of those charity events where decorators do trees to be auctioned. Well, that was 3 years ago and it still sits in the middle of their living room, fully decorated. In 3 years they have never put it away because they don't think they can ever set it up as nicely on their own. Cn you imagine?

I'm sure it's lovely, but wouldn't you be so sick of it by now?? After 3 years I don't know if I would care to ever see it again! Not to mention explaining to visitors throughout the year why there's a Christmas tree sitting in the living room. Doesn't sound fun to me at all.