Do you decorate for xmas?

V

Vicky

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Location
Pennsylvania, USA
Do you decorate for xmas? -- OR -- Have you stop? -- Why?

I stopped decorating 15-20 yrs ago. I thought, why bother? My husband (when living) never wanted to participate in the festive process. Kids were living on their own. Most of relatives passed away. So I stopped. I gave up something I loved because no one wanted to share my joy in the festive day. I started to spend the holidays alone, in front of TV, or doing a household task.

Last yr was the 1st time I spent holidays with someone (boyfriend). It became one of the best days I had for years! It was also the strangest year. In the past, no one wanted to celebrate. So now I have someone to share the holiday with, and everyone seemed to invite me over for a dinner, to celebrate the day. It was a hard to tell them I had plans to be with my boyfriend.

This year, I decorated, but it seems I am back to phase 1 again. No one invited me over. Everyone seems to have other plans, and coming to my house fell by the waist side. This year, I look at my warm, beautiful, xmas decorations, which reminds me I have no one to share them with. Again, I say to myself, why bother.

Do you put up decorations? -- Have you stopped? -- What were your reasons? -- Tell me your story.
 

Not as much as I used to. I had over a thousand Santas, ranging from almost full sized down to one carved from a grain of rice.

Putting them out (and putting them back up) was a major undertaking but my late husband loved Christmas and helped a lot.

When he died, I just lost my motivation and I sold and gave away the lot. I kept about 12 of the most sentimental ones.

Now I have a 6-foot "pencil tree", decorated with cardinals, snowflakes and clear lights, a wreath for the door and electric candles for the front windows. My few Santas are scattered around.

Oh, and I do have two big pink flamingos in the yard with Santa hats, red twinkling noses, red bows on their necks, and antlers. This IS Florida, y'know.
 

Are you not with the boyfriend anymore. If I may ask?

We didn't have Christmas growing up and I didn't decorate. About 5 years ago, I decided. I can. I don't do a tree. I decorate by hanging ornaments on the wall, glass bulbs in milk glass bowls etc.. Everything thrifted. As far as spending it with anyone. No. I was home with the cats Thanksgiving. They don't have me scheduled to work Christmas either, so I'll be here with the cats.
 
I spend every Christmas with my daughter and decorate each year, tinsel, candles, an ornamental tree and Father Christmas, various things I have collected over the years, plus of course, Christmas cards

I would still decorate even if I was alone
 
This is my first Christmas alone. My older son who lived with me passed away shortly after last Christmas. Last week I got down all the Christmas stuff and my other son went through it to take what he wants. The rest goes to Goodwill. Our Christmas tree was a plastic thing with LED lights that I never liked. It went in the trash. The strings of lights for the house also went in the trash. The only thing I'm keeping is a wreath for the door. I may hang it up.
 
Grampa Don said:
This is my first Christmas alone. My older son who lived with me passed away shortly after last Christmas. Last week I got down all the Christmas stuff and my other son went through it to take what he wants. The rest goes to Goodwill. Our Christmas tree was a plastic thing with LED lights that I never liked. It went in the trash. The strings of lights for the house also went in the trash. The only thing I'm keeping is a wreath for the door. I may hang it up.
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My condolences on the loss of your son. I lost my only son in August of last year. Beyond painful.
 
Vicky said:
Do you decorate for xmas? -- OR -- Have you stop? -- Why?

I stopped decorating 15-20 yrs ago. I thought, why bother? My husband (when living) never wanted to participate in the festive process. Kids were living on their own. Most of relatives passed away. So I stopped. I gave up something I loved because no one wanted to share my joy in the festive day. I started to spend the holidays alone, in front of TV, or doing a household task.

Last yr was the 1st time I spent holidays with someone (boyfriend). It became one of the best days I had for years! It was also the strangest year. In the past, no one wanted to celebrate. So now I have someone to share the holiday with, and everyone seemed to invite me over for a dinner, to celebrate the day. It was a hard to tell them I had plans to be with my boyfriend.

This year, I decorated, but it seems I am back to phase 1 again. No one invited me over. Everyone seems to have other plans, and coming to my house fell by the waist side. This year, I look at my warm, beautiful, xmas decorations, which reminds me I have no one to share them with. Again, I say to myself, why bother.

Do you put up decorations? -- Have you stopped? -- What were your reasons? -- Tell me your story.
Click to expand...
You no longer have your boyfriend?
Can be lonely. Does the community you live in have a group party? For those that are alone? You could go there and not be so lonely.
I stopped decorating at least 30 years ago. Have no real interest in Christmas. No family, and all my aquaintances have families.
 
I have been alone at Christmas the last 2 years. I did still decorate both of those years, but just the Fireplace and hearth .. Daughter came the year before last...

This year Daughter and i are going out to celebrate Christmas a few days before....she won't be coming here.. so I won't decorate.. can't be bothered taking them all down again.
 
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We decorate every year. We get a 9 foot Christmas tree and decorate it with lights and tree ornaments. I usually decorate the tree on my own and put the decorations away by myself. We also have Christmas decorations which we’ve had for years which we put out each year. Every Christmas I make dozens of gingerbread cookies so the house always smells Christmasy. I like Christmas and it wouldn’t be Christmas if we didnt decorate.
 
Vicky said:
Do you decorate for xmas? -- OR -- Have you stop? -- Why?

I stopped decorating 15-20 yrs ago. I thought, why bother? My husband (when living) never wanted to participate in the festive process. Kids were living on their own. Most of relatives passed away. So I stopped. I gave up something I loved because no one wanted to share my joy in the festive day. I started to spend the holidays alone, in front of TV, or doing a household task.

Last yr was the 1st time I spent holidays with someone (boyfriend). It became one of the best days I had for years! It was also the strangest year. In the past, no one wanted to celebrate. So now I have someone to share the holiday with, and everyone seemed to invite me over for a dinner, to celebrate the day. It was a hard to tell them I had plans to be with my boyfriend.

This year, I decorated, but it seems I am back to phase 1 again. No one invited me over. Everyone seems to have other plans, and coming to my house fell by the waist side. This year, I look at my warm, beautiful, xmas decorations, which reminds me I have no one to share them with. Again, I say to myself, why bother.

Do you put up decorations? -- Have you stopped? -- What were your reasons? -- Tell me your story.
Click to expand...
Oh Vicky: I feel for you. Nothing worse than getting excited about Christmas decorations and nobody sharing your enthusiasm. I went through the same thing when my husband passed. What's the use of putting them up and nobody to share it with? But my son soon got me through the doldrums and had Christmas at his place and he went the whole shebang with Christmas Lights around his house, a huge Christmas tree in the lounge room and reindeers on the front lawn. The place looked beautiful, and he restored my faith in human nature.
He did this every year for the last 10 years; he's like a little boy again. This year he only put up a lovely Christmas wreath with large and small Blue, White and Gold Christmas balls which my granddaughter and I made a few years ago, it hangs near his front door with coloured lights blinking in it. We are all going to Melbourne for a reunion with my older sister and her family. It will be great. Try and get some of the children living near you and give them a little bag of sweets to welcome in Christmas. It's the giving that brings happiness.
 
My wife calls me Clark Griswold.... We actually had the cops called... 3 nights in a row over our lights... Several neighbors still give us a hard time joking about it. The former owners here were adopted family, and always went crazy with decorations. After they passed, the house sat vacant for years. When we managed to get it, the 1st Christmas I hung a 20 ft string of lights on the eves, ran off a 12V battery and inverter since there was no power... That years after Christmas sales we stocked up on lights... White LED icicle lights... 100 FEET of them.
Fast forward to the next year.....We had gotten power returned to the property, strung up icicles from one end to the other, Colored lights around the windows and doors, Put them on a timer so they came on at dark for a while each night...
On day 3, we come home late evening from a camping trip, and notice a car sitting in the next driveway down the road and someone going thru the woods with a flashlight. I figured someone shot or hit a deer and looking for it. so I holler out and grab a light to help... Turns out to be a Deputy.... He asked If we had noticed anybody wandering around the last several nights, the lady up on the hill had called them the last 3 night complaining the someone was walking around in the woods outside her house.....
The breeze would move the trees and she was seeing flashes for our house, and by the time they got there, the lights had gone off.....
 

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My lifestyle changed 7 years ago when I moved to an apartment. The years of decorating for any holiday are over for me.
But I do like to bring out some favorite things, like my stuffed reindeer that sits on the table along with a Xmas centerpiece. .. also a family of 5 snowmen that are really a windbreaker set that sit on my window ledge.

My Lil’Bear has a red velvet neckband with bells, but I haven't put it on him in a few years. I don’t think he misses it.:giggle: I don’t.
 
The top shelf of a bookcase which straddles foyer/living room is my Holiday Shelf. Currently, it is still in Halloween mode, but that will change later this week for Chanukkah & Christmas. Very small space, but makes me happy to see.
 

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