2018 Christmas decorations thread - deck the halls!

[Queenie60]

Three last photos. Our Christmas eve boxes are on the mantelpiece of the fireplace.

Looks great! Tell me about the Christmas Eve box? Is it the same as a stocking?

 

[mrs-b]

Hi @Queenie60 - and happy new year!

Basically, yes - tho we also have stockings, as you can see. I really love Christmas eve, and we love the open fire / egg nog / carols / presents combo. We started with a fairly haphazard plan for them - just small gifts - but nothing differentiated them from our stockings. So in the end, we decided to fill mine with ornaments (which I love, since I just adore sparkly, glittery glass Christmas ornaments) and I put those on the tree straight away when I opened them. My DH's box was filled with DVD's - the ones we enjoyed most during the year - plus a couple more we missed and had wanted to see. The boxes are bigger than they look and can easily fit a dozen DVD's. I think we'll stick to this plan going forward - ornaments and DVDs are favorite things for us, and it will make a nice tradition.

Our stockings we save for little odds and ends - socks, chocolates, pens, pencils and that sort of thing, and we open them first thing in the morning. I love our stockings; they're a triumph for ingenuity, in that they never cost more than about $50 to fill, but they're always STUFFED full! Then under the tree we put larger things that we open later during the afternoon, after Christmas lunch. My husband is moving more into woodwork, so his 'under the tree' gifts were mostly power tools this year, while mine were mostly cutlery and crockery. There's always a significant clothes contingent for him as well, while Chanel always makes an appearance for me.

We don't normally do anything really huge for Christmas - no diamond rings or large electrical appliances. No air tickets to international destinations, and definitely no cars. I already find our Christmas to be luxurious and indulgent, and I don't want the pressure of having to come up with something 'spectacular and mind-blowing' every. single. year. So we steer away from those sorts of gifts altogether. Apart from that - if I have a spare 5k, for example, I'd rather add that to our retirement savings and give my DH 2 weeks less work in his life. I think like that a lot these days : "I could buy *this*...or DH could have x number of days retiring early...." When you work out a direct exchange like that, it makes it a pretty straightforward decision.

The link to the people who did our boxes is on the first page of this thread; they were from Etsy and not expensive, but are very, very pretty! They were a big hit here this year.

 

[Ellen]

I don't even know where my camera is anymore, and I was too lazy to figure out taking pics on phones and transferring them, etc. But I wanted to share a compliment I got on my LR this Christmas.

My best friend came Christmas eve afternoon to celebrate my Bday (21st) and Christmas. You would have to know her to truly appreciate this. She is very animated and lively, rarely quiet. Some would call her a spaz. So she gets in and sits all the packages down in the LR while I'm in the kitchen. I forget what I was doing, maybe getting coffee. It got so quiet, I began to wonder if she'd gone to the restroom. I walked in the LR and she was sitting on the couch with tears in her eyes. She said, "this room is so beautiful, it's just filled with you. It makes me want to cry."

That has to be one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten.

 

[Austina]

I didn’t take a photo of the tree and decorations, and now we’ve just put them away. Our DS and his partner have gone home (US) so it doesn’t feel like Christmas anymore. I’m trying to keep busy to fill the void

 

[MamaBee]

I don't even know where my camera is anymore, and I was too lazy to figure out taking pics on phones and transferring them, etc. But I wanted to share a compliment I got on my LR this Christmas.

My best friend came Christmas eve afternoon to celebrate my Bday (21st) and Christmas. You would have to know her to truly appreciate this. She is very animated and lively, rarely quiet. Some would call her a spaz. So she gets in and sits all the packages down in the LR while I'm in the kitchen. I forget what I was doing, maybe getting coffee. It got so quiet, I began to wonder if she'd gone to the restroom. I walked in the LR and she was sitting on the couch with tears in her eyes. She said, "this room is so beautiful, it's just filled with you. It makes me want to cry."

That has to be one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten.

This is where we need a love button! I LOVE this....Friends and family are the best gifts..

 

[MamaBee]

@mrs-b I’m putting away my Christmas decorations soon and realized I forgot one of my favorites! ‘Til next year!

 

[mrs-b]

@mrs-b I’m putting away my Christmas decorations soon and realized I forgot one of my favorites! ‘Til next year!

Oooooh - that is just too sweet!

We're taking down all our outside decos today, and I've de-Christmas'd all the house except for the living room. All the linen in the dining room has been packed away, as well as our Christmas tin gift box candles, and the 3 full-sized gold trees that were in there as well.

In the living room, the Christmas mantelpiece has been disassembled, the cushions have been packed away, and the 2 decorative Christmas arrangements from the coffee table have been packed away as well. Basically, all we have left up is our main Christmas tree and the three lit garlands around the 3 windows in those rooms. So we are currently 'stripped back' Christmas in the living room, and all the rest is gone.

Till next year....

 

[MamaBee]

Oooooh - that is just too sweet!

We're taking down all our outside decos today, and I've de-Christmas'd all the house except for the living room. All th elinen in the dining room has been packed away, as well as our Christmas tin gift box candles, and the 3 gold trees that were in there as well.

In the living room, the Christmas mantelpiece has been disassembled, the cushions have been packed away, and the 2 decorative Christmas arrangements have been packed away as well. Basically, all we have left up is our main Christmas tree and the three lit garlands around the 3 windows in the living and dining rooms. So we are currently 'stripped back' Christmas in the living room, and al the rest is gone.

Till next year....

I’m so jealous..My husband likes to keep everything up until January 6..my birthday..but he loves Christmas so much I have to beg him to help me take things down. It starts to get weird having things up nearing the third week in January and I have to start strongly protesting. I decided this year I’m going to take everything and start clumping them on the dining room and kitchen counter..hoping his ocd with order will inspire him to get the bins so I can pack my share up. It impossible to do my main tree by myself but will start taking ornaments off and the half bald tree should send his ocd over the edge..

 

[lambskin]

Every year I put up a bit less...but it seems it still takes me forever to put it all away. Has anyone noticed a decrease in energy usage using LED lights? I still use tree string lights that are probably 20 years old (or older). Hubby says our electric bill is higher in December. Other factors such as space heaters, more folks home during the day using electricity etc are taken into account. We do not have outdoor lights-only about 6 large strings of old lights on the tree.

 

[mrs-b]

Well, Jan 6th *is* the twelfth day of Christmas - so he has an argument in leaving it all till then. Saturday the 5th is when the last of ours will go down; after that, Christmas feels like something in the past, so the decos become irrelevant. At that point I just want to be done.

I start taking them down, tho, on the day after New Year, and do a fair bit each day; for example, it's the 3rd today and about 75% of ours is gone. While I love Christmas, I also like reclaiming the space.

 

[MamaBee]

Well, Jan 6th *is* the twelfth day of Christmas - so he has an argument in leaving it all till then. Saturday the 5th is when the last of ours will go down; after that, Christmas feels like something in the past, so the decos become irrelevant. At that point I just want to be done.

I start taking them down, tho, on the day after New Year, and do a fair bit each day; for example, it's the 3rd today and about 75% of ours is gone. While I love Christmas, I also like reclaiming the space.

Me too! I do forget to put some things back out again. I tuck the normal things away and then can’t remember how I had them arranged before.

 

[monarch64]

I'll share some of my mother's fun decor. She has a lady who helps her decorate trees every year and carries things back and forth from her Christmas room on the second floor (an entire huge closet dedicated to decor) but even at 76 she does a lot of the work herself still.

Some Nordic/Santa displays and one bird-themed tree in the formal dining room:

 

[monarch64]

I just realized I didn't get a photo of the room in its entirety with a table shot...but we did a family-style meal with stacked plates on the buffet and no formal table settings this year.
More dining room decor:

 

[monarch64]

My mother has collected Santas for years and years. I think there are some Sandra Koker gourd Santas somewhere in the curio pictured above. Anyway, through the dining room is the foyer (can you tell by looking at the flooring what decade the house was built? LOL) in which there is yet another red/white tree. And check out that cake...it was awful and after we cut into it my mother threw it in the trash when my dad wasn't looking. Even the granddaughters couldn't finish a piece--it was too sweet and had waaaay too much food coloring, but it looked pretty.

 

[monarch64]

Two trees, one for each granddaughter, in the living room. They each have special ornaments and garlands my parents have collected for the girls over the years.

 

[monarch64]

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...my mother made all of the stockings and now they hang on the fireplace in the breakfast room instead of their former places on the family room fireplace. You'll notice that Santa's cookies and milk are still left at the stone fireplace in the family room rather than the one that's closed up in the breakfast room, just to make sure he didn't miss them on his way to the stockings.

 

[MamaBee]

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...my mother made all of the stockings and now they hang on the fireplace in the breakfast room instead of their former places on the family room fireplace. You'll notice that Santa's cookies and milk are still left at the stone fireplace in the family room rather than the one that's closed up in the breakfast room, just to make sure he didn't miss them on his way to the stockings.

I LOVE all your mom’s decorations..and the tree for each grand-daughter is so precious. That’s a house I would love to visit for Christmas. Magical!

 

[Ellen]

Monarch, thanks for your moms pics! I had someone where I worked last give me an ornament like one of these in the pic, so much fun.

 

[Ellen]

Love this tree and the dish with ornaments.

 

[Ellen]

Did she make the cake?

 

[mrs-b]

@monarch64 -

I just want you to know that I'm pretty sure your mother is my soul sister, style guru, #lifegoals role model - and then some. A Christmas decorating assistant?? A whole room dedicated to Christmas decorations?? BRING IT ON!

Seriously, I love her already.

 

[mrs-b]

I didn’t take a photo of the tree and decorations, and now we’ve just put them away. Our DS and his partner have gone home (US) so it doesn’t feel like Christmas anymore. I’m trying to keep busy to fill the void

I'm really sorry, @Austina - that sounds like quite the post-Christmas bump. Sending you hugs and best wishes for the new year.

 

[lambskin]

Love the two Christmas tree ideas. That bird tree is so beautiful too.

 

[Austina]

Thanks @mrs-b, they’ve more than compensated for their absence by surprising us with a NYE engagement. We’re thrilled beyond belief, she’s a lovely girl and we couldn’t be happier to welcome her to our family.

 

[MamaBee]

I didn’t take a photo of the tree and decorations, and now we’ve just put them away. Our DS and his partner have gone home (US) so it doesn’t feel like Christmas anymore. I’m trying to keep busy to fill the void

Awwww..I didn’t see this...Austina..me too..This is the time to clear our closets, etc. keeping ourselves busy like you said..

 

[MamaBee]

Thanks @mrs-b, they’ve more than compensated for their absence by surprising us with a NYE engagement. We’re thrilled beyond belief, she’s a lovely girl and we couldn’t be happier to welcome her to our family.

Congratulations!

 

[Austina]

Thank you @Mamabean we were beginning to wonder if he was ever going to settle down

 

[monarch64]

Did she make the cake?

No, it was purchased from a local bakery. She would never stick plastic doo-dads onto a cake, hahaha! It was fun for the kiddos and that was about the extent of its value.

 

[monarch64]

@monarch64 -

I just want you to know that I'm pretty sure your mother is my soul sister, style guru, #lifegoals role model - and then some. A Christmas decorating assistant?? A whole room dedicated to Christmas decorations?? BRING IT ON!

Seriously, I love her already.

She will be tickled when I pass along these compliments! She is quite the creative mastermind and I believe gives Buddy The Elf (that Will Ferrell character in The Elf movie) a run for his money in terms of Christmas spirit.

 

[monarch64]

Thanks @mrs-b, they’ve more than compensated for their absence by surprising us with a NYE engagement. We’re thrilled beyond belief, she’s a lovely girl and we couldn’t be happier to welcome her to our family.

Congrats! We need to see the ring, obv.