Can I go minimal for Christmas???

[Klunick]

I am a seasonal decor addict. I love to decorate for every season and holiday. I have slowly decluttered a bunch of decor over the years but Christmas is always hard for me. I tend to go overboard with decor. This year, I have gone very minimal with my Fall and Halloween decor and I am really enjoying it. Just touches around the living room and kitchen. I really want to try to go more minimal for Christmas. I even went as far as printing out some photos of what the living room looked like and X-ing out things that I hope to declutter. I am going to put out the decor I for sure want to keep and see how it looks. Also will try to move some items from one location to another so things aren't so clustered in the living room. Unless someone in the house (husband or sons) makes a comment like "Where is the (insert item)?" or "Why didn't you put (insert item) out this year?", I will keep some stuff in the storage closet until I'm sure no one misses anything and then will declutter it.

I have about six items on my "to be decluttered" list and I think that will be just enough to satisfy my need for less this Christmas.

[iris lilies]

Yes you have my permission! Haha

[iris lilies]

I am trying the ultimate minimal for Xmas outdoor decor this year— hiring someone to put up lights and take them down.

we shall see how that goes

next year our house will be on our towns holiday house tour so I will have to ramp up holiday decor. I do not have a ton of it anymore since I jettisoned most when we moved. But I plan to buy lots of real greenery and berries, and with a few strings of lights plus one tree, that should work.

I’m to the stage of life where I want to spend money to make life easy and taking down and storing holiday decor is not making my life easy.

[catherine]

Yes, good for you, IL! I agree. I'm sure your home will be beautiful next year (and this year).

As I've described before, we used to be the Family of Christmas Bullemics. Just consume everything we can for everyone, and then return what we can because we can't afford it.

Three years ago we started a Secret Santa model for gift-giving. DH and I went along, but it was hard for us to resist buying stuff for each kid AND in-law, not to mention grandkid. But it was a great decision.

As for decorating, I don't do a lot anymore. There's only so far you can go in a <700 square house. And no one ever passes by in the winter, so we don't worry about exterior lights.

I have experimented with different ways to have a tree in our house. First year was a $5 dollar store tree. That worked OK. Next year I got an expensive fake pencil tree which I hated. It had glitter on it that just was a mess all the time. The next year, we got a very small live tree, and that did OK, but really make the foot traffic pattern in the house very difficult.

Last year, I did a wall tree, and that seemed to be the best solution. It only takes a few pine boughs and a dozen ornaments and one string of lights.

IMG_0956.jpgIMG_1945.jpgIMG_4330.jpgIMG_6091.jpg

[Tradd]

My Christmas decorations consist of a 2ft tall tree that goes on an end table. It’s from Target and gets all decorated including lights. I buy a small poinsettia. I’ll tape my Christmas cards to the back of my apartment door. That’s it.

[frugal-one]

Nada

[rosarugosa]

Catherine: That wall tree is a great idea and very nicely done.

[Klunick]

I don't want to go as minimal as some of you but do want to tone it down a little. I still want our house to feel like Christmas and I do enjoy looking at the decor (as do my family). Just not as much as years past but still enough that the house feels festive.

[happystuff]

Outdoor lights from a single string of solar lights I found a couple years ago. Still going strong and just a simple string around the porch where the steps are. Tree is artificial with pre-strung lights. Looks fine once decorated. We put it up in front of a living room window so, when it is on, it adds some to the outside. A felt advent calendar of Noah's Ark and stockings are about all that is put up. Cards get stapled to ribbons hung on each side of an indoor doorway.

[Rogar]

I understand the Jehovah Witnesses do not encourage celebration of holidays except Easter due to issues around paganism or some violation of the 7 cardinal sins. I could live with that, but do get a little pleasure from a few outdoor solar lights and some family heirlooms for indoor home decoration.