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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 08 2007 at 4:46pm | IP Logged
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for Christmas?
This year we have a Yule Log (inspired by several posts last year) along with wrapped books (purple and white wrapping). We open one book each night.
I have some greenery around, a wreath, and the tree is up, and the kids are busily making ornaments and crafts that are slowly filling up the house. We have an Advent wreath and our star cards (on the fridge) and two nativity scenes (child-safe and for looks only).
I also have boxes and boxes full of other decorations and Christmas stuff that I oddly have no interest in putting up. I felt the same way last year, and the year before. I seem to be scaling down the decorating more each year with the pre-made stuff, and beefing up the homemade items, which give me great joy.
Now I am even thinking I just want to donate a lot of the stuff I
am not putting up each year. Has anyone else cycled through this before? Will I regret giving half the stuff away?
I just want to keep things simple and enjoy the season more without oodles of decorations every where. Is this common?
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Dec 08 2007 at 5:53pm | IP Logged
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You and I must be in the same frame of mind.
I attribute mine to the overall need to simplify my life that has taken center stage lately. I find myself wanting to pare down the clutter and focus on the essentials in every aspect of my life.
For Christmas decor I have a tree up with our favorite ornaments, the mantle is decorated, the Jesse tree is late, but will be up, and then there are a lot of home-made items from the kids all over the place.
I think the appeal of store-bought glitter is fading from me, and I find I am attracted to simpler things. I want my home to reflect the growing attitude of simplicity and detachment from materialism that dh and I are trying to cultivate in ourselves and our family.
Hmmm..probably more than you asked for here, but that's my reasoning behind fewer decorations this year.LOL!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: Dec 08 2007 at 5:55pm | IP Logged
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And as far as donating unused decorations, I looked at my 5 rubbermaid bins of stuff and thought: I will take ONE bin to Alaska when we move. The rest will bless some other family.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Dec 08 2007 at 6:02pm | IP Logged
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I don't know if I've downsized as much as I've gotten more selective.. the tree ornaments I got rid of the generic ones long ago.. only keep bows and bead garland.. all the others are personal ornaments.
Then I found that a lot of the little stuff just gets lost in clutter so I use things that pop and make the house feel decorated without a lot of putting up and taking down.. bead garland on the high shelves (draped so it hangs over the edges) gives a lot of pizzazz for fairly little work.. then a bunch of different Nativities are the bulk of the rest I put up.
Generally I can put up everything else and still end up helping dh and the kids with the tree.. which works perfectly for decorating imo. But yeah.. if it's things that you don't want to use and things that aren't really special things you'd want to save.. getting rid of them can make things so much nicer.. less bulk to store.. easier to get to everything when decorating and putting things away and all.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
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vmalott
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I definitely don't do as much as I used to, and it's done in increments. The Advent Wreath is first, and it's on our kitchen table so we remember to light it each night during dinner. 
Then I decorate the mantle the day before St. Nick, setting out the ceramic "santa" statues that my mother started giving to me as gifts as a way to start a collection. The mantle also is decorated with red candles and faux greenery. I also have two ceramic angel statues that were given to me by my mother the Christmas I had my first miscarriage, so they are our little reminders of the babies we have lost throughout the years.
Last night we put up the tree and set out the kids' nutcrackers. I finally got rid of the glass balls we had purchased our first Christmas...too many had broken and neither DH nor I really liked them. About 90% of the ornaments are homemade, the other 10% are personalized with the kids' names (given on St. Nick's Day) or received as gifts (DH teaches CCD). So, they all have meaning behind them.
We have several ceramic holiday candles/holders (rec'd as gifts) that I decided not to put out this year. We don't have a good spot for them and they generally don't get used. We do have a wreath on the door and outside lights, but nothing terribly fussy, unlike some homes in our neighborhood. One house has about 8 inflatable yard things and icicle lights around 3/4 of the house that flash randomly 
Valerie
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Valerie
Mom to Julia ('94), John ('96), Lizzy ('98), Connor ('01), Drew ('02), Cate ('04), Aidan ('08) and three saints in heaven
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Mackfam
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I'm really simplifying here, in spite of my mad nesting!  Life here has taken on a pace of its own, and if I add much else, peace will be lost. Plus, I just find I can focus/pray/hear God when there is less clutter, less visual noise. KWIM?
So...it's Advent only decorations here...I have my Jesse Tree/Advent Spiral set out. We've really been enjoying that! There is one large nativity/creche set out. Mary and Joseph and the donkey have been traveling from our kitchen toward the Nativity Creche since the beginning of Advent. The Advent wreath and candles are out on the table. There is a wooden advent calendar that I put little hershey's kisses in for each of the kids (this will be the last year we can do that. ) And, because Advent is a penitential season, and because a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, I put in a little piece of paper in each day that has a sacrifice/gift of self to be performed that day. And one last thing, which isn't really a decoration, but looks so festive anyway - our basket of Advent books, one to be read each day - set out on the table in the living room.
That's it. We don't have a tree up yet. No lights til after Christmas.
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Jen Mackintosh
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Dec 10 2007 at 7:30pm | IP Logged
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Mackfam wrote:
I'm really simplifying here, in spite of my mad nesting! Life here has taken on a pace of its own, and if I add much else, peace will be lost. Plus, I just find I can focus/pray/hear God when there is less clutter, less visual noise. KWIM?
So...it's Advent only decorations here...I have my Jesse Tree/Advent Spiral set out. We've really been enjoying that! There is one large nativity/creche set out. Mary and Joseph and the donkey have been traveling from our kitchen toward the Nativity Creche since the beginning of Advent. The Advent wreath and candles are out on the table. There is a wooden advent calendar that I put little hershey's kisses in for each of the kids (this will be the last year we can do that. ) And, because Advent is a penitential season, and because a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, I put in a little piece of paper in each day that has a sacrifice/gift of self to be performed that day. And one last thing, which isn't really a decoration, but looks so festive anyway - our basket of Advent books, one to be read each day - set out on the table in the living room.
That's it. We don't have a tree up yet. No lights til after Christmas. |
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Your Jesse tree is wonderful- now I know what project we will be working on for next year. I am glad that I am not alone in my minimalist decorating- I couldn't decide if I was just too tired/lazy to decorate more or if the simplicity was the big draw.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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marihalojen
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lapazfarm wrote:
| I will take ONE bin to Alaska when we move. The rest will bless some other family. |
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Theresa! Marianna and I took a road trip today back to our old marina to collect our ONE bin of Christmas delights. We have our tiny tree nestled in among what must be a thousand lights, that's my downfall. I Christmas Lights!
Does anyone have those new LED lights? My dh is all about those, they use so little energy we could run them even anchored out! And depending on the bulb style they can be super bright too, I guess. I can see them in our near future...
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lapazfarm
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We dont have the LED's yet, but my dh is really pushing for replacing ours with LEDs when we move.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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4Real Forums : Tea and Conversation
Topic: How much decorating do you do
