Christmas Decorations

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Historically we have always put up the christmas lights, etc outside the weekend after Thanksgiving, or if away the weekend after that.

Last year my DH was sick the one last nice weather weekend and after that it snowed. We never got them put out.

I had two complete strangers, at different points during the season, pull into my driveway, knock on my door and ask why we hadn't done them last year! I never realized our unique way of decorating was so appreciated by our neighbors...reminescent of Christmas with the Kranks "Free Frosty" scene.

So tomorrow up they go and we will start lighting them on the first of December.

When do you start your holiday decorating?

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Traditionally, I always start today, the day after Thanksgiving. And, I normally take them down, the day after New Years. I don't wait until Little Christmas.

However, I haven't done a thing today, and my husband is playing golf tomorrow. So, if it's nice on Sunday, I guess we'll get started.

We always put up a 12' tree, so that is definitely my biggest chore. I pretty much decorate the entire tree by myself. My kids use to enjoy helping me when they were younger, but these days, if they are even home, they are running out the door.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Traditionally, I always start today, the day after Thanksgiving. And, I normally take them down, the day after New Years. I don't wait until Little Christmas.

However, I haven't done a thing today, and my husband is playing golf tomorrow. So, if it's nice on Sunday, I guess we'll get started.

We always put up a 12' tree, so that is definitely my biggest chore. I pretty much decorate the entire tree by myself. My kids use to enjoy helping me when they were younger, but these days, if they are even home, they are running out the door.

I put them up last year and I take them down just prior to a hurricane. LOL. Since we didn't have a hurricane this year, they are still up.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Traditionally, I always start today, the day after Thanksgiving. And, I normally take them down, the day after New Years. I don't wait until Little Christmas.

However, I haven't done a thing today, and my husband is playing golf tomorrow. So, if it's nice on Sunday, I guess we'll get started.

We always put up a 12' tree, so that is definitely my biggest chore. I pretty much decorate the entire tree by myself.

a TWELVE foot tree by yourself? YIKES!

I need DH as I'm afraid of heights and I decorate the Japanese Maple on the front lawn with dozens of 12 inch lighted globes. DH calls them our "Solar System". Quite unique.

I usually wait until Little Christmas to take them all down but one year my reindeer nearly wore Easter Bunny ears.

Boca please....you don't leave them up ALL YEAR???

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

I put them up last year and I take them down just prior to a hurricane. LOL. Since we didn't have a hurricane this year, they are still up.

Oh, that's a shame......Wait, are you saying that you kept them up since last Christmas........ Well, that's one way to beat the holiday crunch.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

We, too, usually get a 12' tree. The base of those trees are huge. It takes a ton of lights to fill that one up. We almost did a 14' tree once, but that was too big to put on top of the mini-Van to drive home. It's amazing how much bigger a 14' tree is vs. a 12' tree.

That was in our Florida house since our living room had 22' ceilings. Now, we have 8' ceilings in Hawaii. So, we will probably get a 4 or 5' tree.

I was only kidding about the lights. We did leave them up once until hurricane season. They were just those simple white lights, so they didn't look bad all year round. I was too lazy to take them down that year. We did take them down just prior to the hurricanes of 2005 or 2004, I don't remember which it was.

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

I usually try to start on ours during this weekend, but many times I fail to follow thru and I end up putting them up after snow or other bad weather has hit.
We have a unique system in that we alernate as to whose year it is. My wife likes the kind of colonial look with white lites on the bushes and 1 white candle lite in each window with a spot on the wreath on the front door and I kind of go "carnivalish" with a lot of colored lights and many light up santas, snowmen, reindeer, and some of those big blow up decorations.
I think it took our neighbors a few years to get used to the switching off, they probably thought the house had sold each year for a while. This is my wife's year so an easy year in putting up the decos. I use the year when it is my wife's turn for rebuilding. I normally look for something to add to my collection on the off years.
Our system is strange but it works well for us.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Lawren,

a TWELVE foot tree by yourself? YIKES!

I know, it's a tremendous amount of work. And, I'm really narcotic about it too. It needs to look perfect. I wrap it with ribbons and I use gold and silver leaf ornaments, etc. Christmas has always been my holiday, and I have always made a very big deal out of it.

Although, for some reason, I'm being a real Scrooge this year. I'm just not really in the mood to do any of it. I'm hoping that I snap out of it, and start getting into the spirit of the season.....

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I think it took our neighbors a few years to get used to the switching off, they probably thought the house had sold each year for a while. This is my wife's year so an easy year in putting up the decos. I use the year when it is my wife's turn for rebuilding. I normally look for something to add to my collection on the off years.
Our system is strange but it works well for us.

Ken that's rich! and quite different!

Until this year I had to run everything off one socket from the garage. Now I have outdoor outlets so if there are a few $ left over from Christmas I may add to my strange little menagerie of reindeer, snowmen and globes...lots and lots of globes.

I had wanted to do icecle lights off the gutters until every other house had them.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

BB,

We, too, usually get a 12' tree. The base of those trees are huge. It takes a ton of lights to fill that one up.

You're right. We normally use about 1500 lights on our tree. They are the small white lights tho. I then use a set of old fashioned looking lights that look like candles on a holder.

Oh, and I normally only decorate with white, silver, and gold, decorations.

As I was saying, I'm a little narcotic about it......

Jim, I actually love smaller Christmas trees. And wreaths, and garland, I love them too.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

Christmas has always been my holiday, and I have always made a very big deal out of it.

Although, for some reason, I'm being a real Scrooge this year. I'm just not really in the mood to do any of it. I'm hoping that I snap out of it, and start getting into the spirit of the season.....

I hope you snap out of it too!

Two years ago we got the outside done and then I got my layoff announcement...I ended up running out on Xmas Eve for the tree and doing indoor stuff until 4AM. The American Flyer train set that was my Dad's the Dept 56 houses, nativity scene, tree.

You can't just cancel Xmas if you have a kid in the house!

Sometimes I thank the higher power that I DO have a kid in the house. Can't afford to feel bad for myself.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

Ken,

I think it took our neighbors a few years to get used to the switching off, they probably thought the house had sold each year for a while.

.....

Lawren,

I had wanted to do icecle lights off the gutters until every other house had them.

I know what you mean. I have them, and I am so sick of looking at them, that I don't even want to put them up.......

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

I hope you snap out of it too!

Two years ago we got the outside done and then I got my layoff announcement...I ended up running out on Xmas Eve for the tree and doing indoor stuff until 4AM. The American Flyer train set that was my Dad's the Dept 56 houses, nativity scene, tree.

You can't just cancel Xmas if you have a kid in the house!

Sometimes I thank the higher power that I DO have a kid in the house. Can't afford to feel bad for myself.

Oh Lawren, I feel terrible that that happened to you. But, you did the right thing. You can not just cancel Christmas, and I won't cancel it either.

I definetly believe it fate.....Things happen for a reason.

[JoAnn Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JoAnn]

I'm done..but we/I don't decorate outside. Just a 7' artificial tree and some things up in the house. And I think this will be the last year for us to have a tree...it's getting too much for me to climb up and down the ladder and do it alone. There are no grandchildren so no real reason to work myself to a frazzle. Everything comes down by New Year's Day...during all the football games.

[ArtsieAng Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close ArtsieAng]

JoAnn,

Your done............ Wow, I'm impressed. To hear the words 'I'm done' when I haven't even started, makes me very jealous.....