Well, for me, I try and make most of my decorations. Growing up on a farm, we used to pick the greens 'outside' and the ornaments kind of grew over time. There was no 'look' just nostalgia! The Tradition is from your familys' celebration over time. Just remembering that keeps us in line!

I don't mind it. I'm very traditional so I tend to do the same things every year, but embellished or changed a little so they're better. Anyone who sees the post on my treasure finds today will see that a splurge for me is well under $20.00 and only $3.25 for ornaments I'm ADDING to my Christmas tree. I do have Christmas towels, dishes, pillowslips, etc., mostly bought second-hand.

I just read the posts here and can feel the pleasure everyone is getting from doing their tablescapes, finding treasures in the stores, or crafting an imitation of something that was too expensive. It seems like many of us who worked are retired. I think it's terrific that we are doing something all year that keeps us occupied and happy. And I can sense there's a real community on this forum, yes, much of it fueled by what some would call over-consumption. But there's no over-consumption on the friendships and camaraderie here. I say go for it, don't put yourself in debt that will make you unhappy, but keep on making the beautiful tables, the gorgeous trees and vignettes. They are not only making you happy but your families and friends happy too.

-Magpie

I know what you mean patty cakes. I just got back from Sam's and checked out some of the decorations - very expensive! I'm sure happy that I am not a new bride having to begin my collection! I also always wait until after Christmas to buy new things on sale. They practically give things away then. Last year I purchased a ton of green and gold items to decorate our tree with a Green Bay Packer theme (we're from Wisconsin - can you tell!!) I already had plenty of gold bead garland and a few Packer ornaments, but now I have a ton. I have a huge assortment of ornies that I have collected over the last 35 years, so I'm not hurting if I want to go back to a traditional tree.

I think that's whats wrong with loseing the old christmas joy.. It's missing the simplisity of the old days...Or when I was little. I enjoy the days leading up to christmas, but then it's just a big let down when it comes. This yr i'm trying a different way. My DH and I built me a little cabin shop for my fall produce and hand made items. There is no electric except an extentioncord. We put a wood stove in and i'm going to light candles all around. The tree will be the only thing lit. Rustic I guess you'd say....And simple...

I for one buy most of my things after Christmas. I have always put up a memory tree with ornaments that I have bought through the years one at a time. I have been doing that for over 30 years. I did buy a tree for my LR a few years ago so I could change the look. That tree is 6 1/2 but narrow and doesn't cost much if I want to change it out. My FR tree I did purchase new ornaments for because my kids wanted a change and I guess I did to. I did purchase some at 50% off and the rest at 75%. I don't buy that much Christmas stuff as I have more than I will ever need and do have a hard time letting go of some of it.

I did put up houses for years and got tired of doing it so I did give most of them away. I have since taken up buying nutcrackers and have more than I need.

Patty, I don't even know when "I" got out of control, much less Christmas!! LOL
But on the serious side, just the last couple years have I suddenly gone crazy buying ornaments and decorations. Most of it on sale, or at places like Dollar Tree and Goodwill.
I absolutely LOVE all the Christmas decorations. (and very glad to see the basic red 'n green replaced with so many lovely choices.)
I use to get very down during the Holidays, felt like there was Grinch side to me. I couldn't get into the spirit and fun part of the season once the kids were grown and gone.
And even tho I had wonderful grandparents and super parents, and was a spoiled only child, looking back I get very sad about Christmas in a way. I don't have any family heirloom ornaments or cherished traditions, and the older I get the more I realize how important those things are to me now that its too late. My relatives all put up a tree and decorated it, but nothing "special" for any of them that I can remember. Just a simple 6 ft tree, with simple ornaments (and not a lot of them even.) I remember covering our trees in the silver tinsel tho. LOL. I don't miss that part at all. So I guess Christmas never seemed that much of a big deal.. except the gifts under the tree and being a kid.
Oh how I wish I'd bought special ornaments when I got married, and that I'd started traditions with and for my kids. But I just continued what I grew up with. A tree in the living-room and a wreath on the front door. It was just a few years ago that I started decorating 3 small trees and getting more interested in buying all the pretty ornaments and decorations. And then finding this Forum two years ago really lit my fire. LOL. I'm not able to do a big tree, or have a tree in every room, or go all out like that. But I'm doing so much more than ever before in my Life, and its bringing me so much pleasure. I spend most of my time pretty much house-bound due to the Fibro pain, so seeing things decorated brightens my little world tremendously. I know I shouldn't keep buying things and adding more each year, but it makes me happy. I don't shop for clothes (except when necessary) or jewelry, or go out, or travel. So I guess out-of-control-Christmas is my big vice these days. Maybe it is "craziness", but I need it for now, knowing that in the future I will be forced to pare way down.
Sorry this is so long, I got carried away with this subject.
hugs, Karen

Patty_Cakes, I see your point & I do believe the merchants know that if they don't come out with "different" every year, they aren't going to sell very much, as the artificial trees last forever!

Don't even get me started on Credit Cards!!! They are the ruination of our country, IMO! My father always paid cash & said if you don't have enough cash to buy it, then you can't afford it!

I have lived by that my entire life & so do my kids (thankfully)! But, there are too many that do not & are so deep in CC debt that it is ruining our country, that includes these banks that gave out home loans to people who they KNEW could not afford to pay for them!!!

Ok, off my soapbox! Now, I do find myself changing my table & vignettes every year now (due to THIS FORUM) but like all of you, I look for bargains & only buy what I can afford to pay for!

Like Karen, I was an only child & agree with all she said about decorating the house & how much better it makes you feel when you see it all!

We will be gone for Christmas, but I am still doing my table & the counter where I do my vignettes & if no one else sees it but me, I'll still be happy & enjoy it!

What I find out of control is the stores putting out Christmas things & trees decorated in SEPTEMBER!!! When will this madness stop, next it will be JULY!!!

Christmas decorating gets bigger for me each year because for a long time I didn't have the money to buy a bunch of ornaments. Until last year, I bought MAYBE a box a year of new ones to replace the broken from the season before. I started out decorating my tall plants, eventually got a 4 ft tree, and last year we bought our first real one. It was much taller than my fake so I bought several boxes of ornaments to try to fill that baby! I also use a bunch of natural (free) goodies.

I'm 38, and my collection has been a pretty slow build until now. Yesterday I went nuts and bought 5 boxes of ornaments and a 3 ft tree at some thrift stores...all for around $15. I least I got bargains LOL!

I can't imagine scrapping my ornaments to start over, but I just GOT most of them last year. Then again, I love reaping the benefits of people who do change out their color schemes regularly or don't want their tarnished ones.

You've got me thinking pattycakes, that the reason I'm starting to decorate in a big way is because we don't have children. A child's excitement for the season is so much fun to see and infectious! For me, putting up all of that stuff fills that space and helps me enjoy it more. This year we may have 3 small children living with us, so I'm getting super excited to share it with them!

Awww man! You've got me tearing up thinking about it! LOL!

Yachter, I hate to say it, but I was in Hobby Lobby back in July...they already had started putting Christmas stuff out. I was totally shocked when I saw it!

I don't think it is out of control at all! I love it!

My most favorite season of all. Everywhere I go, there are gorgeous, sparkly things for me to see! I may not be able to afford to buy it, but looking is still free, and I sure enjoy that.

You can't really blame the retailer if they want to try to get a headstart on their competition. Making those end of the year bucks is really important to their bottom line, and usually accounts for at least 50% of their annual sales. And they wouldn't put it out early if we weren't buying it! All of us on here agree that we'd better get it early, or it may not be there later!

I think most of us have been around long enough to know there is a deeper more important meaning to the season--and we have the choice of how we want to celebrate it. For me, I want it all! I love enjoying the sounds of the music, smelling the evergreens, hearing the sermons that always bring tears to my eyes, tasting everyone's favorite family recipes, and gathering together with family and friends. And I really love walking around the malls soaking in the atmosphere and beauty of all the decorations. I'm glad so many people work so hard to create all the displays for me to enjoy.

If I can afford to bring a little of that into my own home--that really makes me happy too! And I love trying to create my own version of some of the decorations--sometimes I find it might have been cheaper and easier to just "buy it", but for some reason I just NEED to do creative things.

I really admire those of you who chose a "theme" and have added to it each year so you can now have those gorgeous lush trees and decorations in your home. I wasn't smart enough to do that, and have changed my direction and colors several times--and gotten rid of the old when I brought in the new!

We all get to make choices--no one "forces" us to join in the "materialistic" side of the holidays! You can do as much or as little as your time, talent,and budget allow. For me, I sure wish I had a bigger budget--then I wouldn't be walking past those pretty red dishes or that sparkly centerpiece! LOL

Slow down, take a deep breath, and try to enjoy the season! (And try to hit the stores during off hours to avoid those darn crowds!)

Luvs

I guess "out of control" is all in your perspective. :-) I'd say the amount of "stuff" available is massively out of control, but I'm not a huge christmas decorator either. I'm sure lots of christmas lovers would say our Halloween collection is "out of control" too.

For me personally, I may buy one or two new items per year, and since I don't have much to begin with, it's not all that difficult to just add them to my collection. Eventually I'll have to get rid of stuff, but I hate to actually shop in stores, so that keeps impulse buys to nearly zero all year except for October. This year I'm getting rid of any ornaments that didn't go on the tree for the past couple years, and of course I purge any light strings, etc that don't work/get broken.

I have a time limit on decorating for myself. If it doesn't go up within two or three days, it doesn't go up. That keeps me from being overwhelmed with too much stuff, and lets me enjoy the season more. There's enough stress with all the obligatory gift shopping, etc, that I just don't want to "resent" my decorations by making them "work" instead of fun.

To each his or her own, of course. I love looking at all the lavish decorations and such when they're in someone else's house, I just don't want that for myself. :-)

The stores and merchandise are definitely out of control. But, the economy here is built on consumerism and buying new things. So we cant complain about people buying new whatevers because in some way, our lives and jobs are intertwined with materialism and consumerism as much as we wish otherwise.

Personally though, I dont have much of a collection. I am 28 and only started having a tree three years ago so I am still only building up my collection of ornaments. I have more than I should because I dont really celebrate christmas - I just decorate because I like to. Add to that, DH is somewhat minimalistic so I dont do 'over the top' decor anyways. I do love seeing the beautiful 'over the top' decorations though!

I grew up knowing the importance of saving (thanks to a very frugal dad :)) , so I wait for the sales before buying anything. I only usually do one tree and a small dead bonsai tree that I hang ornaments on. LOL.

Mo

Interesting posts and I'm enjoying hearing from all who are responding. Luvs and I think so much alike, its scary, LOL. But the way she expressed her thoughts sure hit home.

I just realized I was never much of a shopper. Hated it in fact. We didn't have much money for 'extras', and frankly I wasn't interested in much that was indoors. I loved being outside, and with animals. So I'm a late-in-life shopper now I guess. Tho my idea of window-shopping is spending hours browsing my favorite antique mall.

This Forum opened my eyes to dollar stores and thrift shops, and I can't imagine now why anyone would pay high retail prices for some things. After Xmas sales are made for folks like us on this Forum. We appreciate the quality but wait till its affordable, LOL.

I think too, the joy and spirit of Christmas abounds here!
We love sharing our things with one another, its never a "mine is better than yours' competition. There is such genuine caring and support in our Forum Family that I see the true meaning of Christmas all year long here in fact.
(And if we're enablers, then the Economy should love us. LOL)
hugs, Karen

I enjoyed reading all your 'stories' and personal experiences~y'all(I live in TX now!!LOL)are such genuine real people. Thank you for sharing.

I got 'caught up' in the Christmas crazies about 10 years ago, when I bought a 2nd tree~now I have 8, I think. LOL I won't know until I start getting my Christmas things out cause I may have bought another one, and forgot about it. Those 75% off after Christmas sales really get me! My Mom always decorated the house for Christmas, so I guess my craziness stems from that. In theory, since I love decorating my home, it only stands to reason that I go all out for Christmas~i'm a more-is-never-enough decorator.

It's also the warm fuzzy feeling I get from the whole experience. So many memories seem to come back at this time of year, and it makes the holiday such a special time for our family. My 3 DD's also do the 'decorating thing', just not to the degree that I do.....yet! I'm sure it's in their genes, so will expose itself fully one of these days. LOL

And yes, what *would* we do without the sales? I don't think I would have as many trees, ornaments, etc., so I guess I should be thankful that retailers possibly overbuy. Bless their hearts, and hopefully they don't loose money this year. They've helped me come up with so many themes thanks to the variety of ornaments.

The anticipation for me usually starts in Sept. and I keep my eyes open for the first sign of Christmas to see what the new season might bring. Of course I won't buy anything until it's on sale, but it's exciting to know I could have a new Christmas treasure~this is my Christmas present to myself. ;o)

Karen I agree with you... it's enlightening reading everyone's response....
There were a couple of years that I really wanted to stop it all!! Seems like we are the brokest in Dec. DH has had a bad year in the job area..........so money is tighter than ever...but last year I made a decision...I love CHRISTmas and celebrate the true meaning to me. The birth of Christ. So I started working toward having alot of faith based decorations. I can not go out and spend alot of money..but love to window shop and try to and add a small amount each year. I love thrift stores and yard sales. I bought several little village pieces at the ts for less than a dollar each after Christmas last year. My goal this year was a garland for the fireplace it's done and I spent less than $15 for it all. Next year is a new angel for the tree.
I don't want to get too personal or bring anyone down but my growing up had some real pit falls... but Christmas memories are happy ones so I try to bring back those memories. Since I found you all I feel at home with all the other sparkle addicts!! LOL!!! And the greatest thing is the way everyone is soo supportive with each other when pictures are posted. You make a person feel good about their talents no matter how limited or extravagant the decorations. Thanks everyone for letting me into your home and sharing your beautiful displays. Keep up the good work!!

Bright, you really hit the nail on the head regarding this forum--everyone here makes each of us feel welcome and that they "belong".

We have such a wide variety of people from all over the world and of all ages and all levels of income and talent. All are so willing to share ideas and sources for the items they decorate with, and several have so generously shared "how to" assistance for making and arranging things.

We enjoy seeing each other's purchases, tablescapes, vignettes, and individual items. We love to see inspiration ideas, and we may turn "green with envy" or "drool" all over our keyboards at times, but we "celebrate" for the poster anyway! No one is "snooty" and no one "belittles" anyone. I think we are each so happy to have found other's who love pretty things and making our homes festive.

Luvs

Patty Cakes, thanks for starting this thread! You probably didn't know it at the time, but I think you have really brought out the true spirit of Christmas in a lot of us by making us reflect on its meaning to us and how our purchases reflect that. It has been so interesting to read everyone's take on the matter.

The subject of how "little" we had in the way of Christmas decor when we were growing up (and even when we started our own families) compared to nowadays comes up a lot with others from my generation. We remember having had one tree, usually a fresh one, a few special items for display and possibly, one string of lights for outside the house. At the time, that was all most people had and it was enough.

I think the start of REALLY decorating for Cmas and the massive assortment available from retailers each year began around the same time as home reno's and interior design started becoming very popular, it just lent itself to further decorating our homes, not just for Christmas (still #1) but for the other seasons now too.

Luvs and Karen (purplemoon), two of the long-time loyal posters on this forum, have summed up my feelings as far as shopping and enjoyment of the Cmas decor available, not to mention, what a wonderful place this forum is because of people like them who make us all feel so welcome and encouraged. I also commend those who try to keep a faith-based holiday and strive to do that myself.

DD

Patty, I love your comment...
"I'm a more-is-never-enough decorator"! Works for me, LOL.

And Bright, calling us all "sparkle addicts" is hilarious and true.

hugs and Happy Holidays,
Karen

Bright, welcome. I think we all thrive on other forum members positive attitudes~glad you're here with us. I believe we all treasure the real meaning of *Christ*mas, and are thankful for what we *do* have, no matter how little. And we're real bargain shoppers too!! During my early years, I also 'made do', but it was enough to bring a smile to my babies faces when they saw the little tree~*that's* good enough in itself! I'm definitely a 'sparkle addict', too! LOL

Thank you, DD! I personally reflect on Christmas every year when I bring out the decorations. So many of them were chosen by my children on our little shopping outings. Years ago when Big Lots was Pic 'n Save, they would get their ornaments in Sept. My son and myself would start buying, him choosing many with me. Thru the years my 3 DD's have married and we shop together a LOT. I certainly know i've added to the economy over the years, and will continue~sales, of course.LOL I think you're right about HGTV and others jumping on the decorating bandwagon. They also made it more difficult for those of us deciding to sell a home. ;o(

Karen, I guess that's the only way I can describe my decorating. I *always* use what I buy. Nothing ever gets put away, waiting for me to find 'the right place'. My gratification is instant!!LOL I'm not an impulse shopper as I usually know where the item will go. Same with my Christmas decorating~waste not, want not'. ;o)

I didn't know what direction this thread would take, but am happy to see it has helped others, as well as reflecting on Christmas and everyone sharing their stories. If we're blessed enough to have children in our lives, even though they may not be our own, it makes the holiday even more special. God bless. ;o)

Interesting discussion - sorry I'm joining late. I love the Christmas season. I do think retail at times pushes it a bit but if I wanted to I could simply ingnore it until I was ready to look at any given Holiday decor. The decorating has become part of our Christmas traditions. For many years I did not have the money to buy any decorations. When my youngest was about a year old I actually lived with him out of my car and it took many years until we could buy a tree and then later some decorations. When my financial and career luck turned around, I started buying every year some decorations. It has changed over the years quite a bit, just as my taste in decorating has changed. Ornaments, home made and bought from the earlier years may not get used anymore but are carefully put away and labeled for my youngest son who put his claim on them. For the last few years it is tradition for me and my boys to put the outside lights on the house together and have hot chocolate and whip cream when it's all done and lit up for our inspection. When the indoor decorating starts they also take a great part and pride in decking the whole house for the season. Their favorite part to help with is the Christmas village. When it's all done (by the end of the first week of December) we then as a family enjoy the month of December watching Christmas movies, baking cookies, looking at our towns Christmas window displays, playing board games in front of a fire in the fireplace or going sledding or for a winter walk. When the majority of people are feverlishly running around through malls and shopping centers, we enjoying our decked out home. For us the more relaxing quiet time during December and counting our blessings is all a large part of our Christmas.

I don't let things get out of control at our house. I look forward to decorating my tree and putting out my decorations each year because every one of them had a history and brings back tons of memories. Each of the tree ornaments was either made by me for my first tree after I left home or given to someone in the family as a gift. I even put my kids first baby shoes on the tree each year.

My nativity was given to me a couple pieces at a time since I first left home by my mom. It means more to me because she made sure that my sister and I each had a gift that reminds us about what Christmas is all about. Every decoration that is in my home means more to me because I didn't just go to the store to buy it for a certain color scheme.

And the same is true about my village. All of the pieces were given to me as gifts.

Next year I am going to have to be creative again like I was my first year on my own. My twins will be moving on and taking all of their special ornaments with them for their trees. I started giving them pieces for their nativity when they turned 13.

I really doubt if I will go out and buy a bunch of different ornaments though. My youngest and I will probably make some to replace them....that will give them more meaning in the years to come. To me that is what Christmas is all about. Celebrating the gift that God gave to us and sharing it, and the memories of our lives, with our loved ones.

Personally, I'm buying Christmas stuff because I am starting to decorate for Christmas.

Fifteen years ago, I decided not to decorate any more - for some personal reasons - so, when I changed my mind, three or four years ago, I had to buy new stuff.

Since I know that each and every year there are new things, new colors, new designs, etc. and since while I appreciate a lot of Christmas items, I don't want all of them in my home and select few of them each year.

For instance, this year, I would like to find one or two Christmas houses for my Xmas village as well as few tree decorations as I don't have a lot of them. Also, here we have less products than in your countries. People generally just decorate their living room and their yard but no other part of their homes.

Useless to say that in Belgium when you're a single parent and have a monthly wage lower than 1500 euros, you do not have the right to own a single credit card; which is a good thing, lol. So, no problem for me I am debt free ;-)

This post has turned out to be a very insightful one I think. In the fun of sharing pics of decorations and tables on here, we often don't realize the many challenges many here have faced or are facing now.

Tam, you deserve a huge hug and a big pat on the back for the way you faced the difficult times and have been able to make such a wonderful home so full of love for yourself and your two sons.

Smickerdoodle, how wonderful that your twins will have those ornaments to take with them and will be able to reflect on the memories of being at home with you each year when they use them. And making new ones with your youngest will give the two of you some special time together as well.

Prosperity, while reading your post, I had what I thought was a great idea. You do wonderful graphic creations on your computer--maybe you could do a few Christmas ones to cut out and use on your tree? I can remember using Christmas cards and red ornaments on my first tree. (We were in the military, new baby, far away from family, very little money--you know the story--but we did splurge and get a tree!) You can also use things like pinecones, nuts, small crocheted doilies,candy canes,bows, etc. to put on the tree. And you are so right--not having credit cards can be a very good thing--no debt means less worries!

Wishing special blessings for us all this holiday season.

Luvs

Great thread and fantastic stories - I have enjoyed reading everyone of them and find a piece of me in almost all of them. My story started when I married my late husband - he was an avid Lionel Train collector and set them up at Christmas - little 4x8 platform with some plasticville buildings. Lets just say it grew over the years to the point where we moved furniture out of the living room and dining room in November to accomodate the trains and villages. We worked as a team - he did all the track work and I did all the village scenes. He balked the first time I wanted to cover everything with snow base but once done we never looked back. I started putting up two trees then because we needed to have a tree on one of the train platforms (tradition since my husband was a child) and then I wanted a tree for presents (part of my tradition). The rest of the house was just simple garlands and wreaths.

When we retired and moved to NC we looked for a house that would work well for our Christmas decorating purposes. As fate would have it I lost my husband after a short cancer struggle two years after we retired in March 2003. I dreaded Christmas but as it grew closer I KNEW I had to do something so I stepped out of my 'box' and did a completely Victorian pink theme tree. The kids loved it when they saw it but still wanted to see the older more traditinal ornaments so the next year I did both. The kids split the trains so they are back into homes where children can enjoy seeing them around a Christmas tree again. I remarried a wonderful guy who has encouraged me to put up the Christmas villages again after seeing pictures of past Christmases and hearing the kids recant stories of how the house use to look.

Now I am back into full mode decorating - stuff is bought after Christmas on sale and I make alot of my decorations. I love looking at a display and then recreating it with my own greens, glitter, glue, old balls, and 'stuff'. I will be doing about 12-15 trees but almost all of them are from Dollar General and were gotten 1/2 price for $10 /6ft tree or $5/4ft tree and $2 tabletop trees.

Finding this forum was one of the best things to have happened to help encourage my bargain hunting and give me more and more ideas. I have enjoyed every thread and every picture. Has Christmas gotten out of control???? - I think it all depends on where you put the emphasis - commercially/advertising yes I think it has - tradition and just enjoying the season for what it's real purpose is well I can never get too much of that ......

Lynne

I have enjoyed reading this thread. It seems many of us have encountered some bumps in the road over the years. i guess that is called life. Those of us who enjoy decorating for the holidays get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I think it gets Out of Control when you don't enjoy what you are doing and think you have to live up to someone else's standards. I think it gets out of control when you think you have to do something you really don't want to do to please someone else. I have friends and family who don't enjoy setting the table and decorating. Those are the people who enjoy what I do without having to do it themselves. (of course they think I'm a little nuts!) They get enjoyment out of doing different things than I do - then I can enjoy the fruits of their hobbies without doing those things myself. It's all about diversity - we all have different traditions. Let's celebrate that and try to be less judgmental of those whose traditions and interests are different than our own!

Well, it is called supply and demand. And some fall for it. I look at them and say hey there is one for $1 and if it is glammy or glittery I buy it, not for the tree but to hang on garland. But now if it is a star, I am hooked.

We always had homemade decorations. and we cut a tree in the the woods in E TX. I was divorced in CA and had no tree or decorations one year. A fire had destroyed all of our decorations. I had made decorations out of foam board and gingham and paper loops. A new boyfriend realized I had no tree for my 2 boys and brought one over. He took me to his parents house and pulled down an old toss away box they had of ornaments (hey all antiques and wonderful to me). I loved it. Still have a few of the gingham ones.

One year daddy saw the trend was thorn bushes with gum drops on it....the black ones never lasted, lol. But my mother was upset. Then the next year he bought a silver aluminum tree. Mom mad again. Now as a widow, she never puts up a tree...bad memories.

I always bought each of my children a new ornament each year...sometimes they were homemade, sometimes store bought. When they left home, they took their memory decorations with them and then added to them with their children.

But to see the sparkle of the tree reflected in a child's eye is worth it all.

Two months, good to see you on here! I know you from the GJ forum, I'm the one in Rancho Cucamonga, and know you really have a knack for turning "trash into treasure." You have sure faced your share of "hard knocks" in your lifetime, but you've always turned it around and made the best of it, haven't you? I'm sure your kids love their ornaments and the memories attached to them. Hope you will feel welcome here and continue to share with us. Luvs

Hi All,I love christmas and decorating.I started with absolutly no decorations of any kind and have bought a few more every year at after christmas sales. Starting when we had our 2 daughters we bought a Hallmark ornament for them every year so when they got out on their own they would have a collection to put on their tree. They are both living on their own and won't take their ornies yet! We still put them on the family tree. I think ornaments have gotten so much more afordable over the years. The only thing I think that is out of control is that they are putting christmas stuff out in July and holiday commercials start Halloween night!

Tam, what an incredible story of your triumph over such severe hardships. And your boys...what can I say other than you must be a very proud Mom. They sound very special and loving and reading about them gave my heart a hug.

You also, Lynne, about finding true love a second time. I am so happy for you.

Two, its GREAT to see you over here from GJ. Hope you enjoy this place, I can't praise it enough. Its a fantastic group of people who have brought great joy to my Life every single day for almost 2 yrs. That is sad about your Mom and Christmas, wish she could find happiness in decorating for herself now.

Again, Everyone, the stories of Christmas' Past and getting to know you even better has been very special to me. I've shed some tears, and smiles, and wish I could give each of you a real hug. (guess you probably figured out from my usual sig. line that I'm a hugger, LOL).

Happy Holidays, and hugs,
Karen

Lynne, after having read your post, I've been thinking about looking for the train of my son - he was passionate few years ago and I bought him a nice train and village (Fleishman's type). Unfortunately, I haven't enough place to put the train :-(

Luvs! You're right! I didn't think about it! Will be working on some decorations on the computer as soon as I'll have a little time (holiday season is so busy)

delphinium33, it's so true! Here too, I deal with my friends and their passions: they go dancing all nigh long during the weekends and I decorate my home and host the parties when holidays arrive, lol.

twomonths, what a lovely tradition!

For me, decorating is all about the spirit of Christmas. I know it sounds wrong to put so much emphasis on how the house looks. My DS is thirteen, and after Halloween is over, he asks when am I going to start decorating. Which tells me it is time to begin. It takes me awhile to get my creative side working and I never know what I will do until I do it. For all of us it is always a surprise. I would say now it is the most rewarding time for all of us. To come home and be surrounded by all the colour, with the snow already on the ground and still in the trees. Without getting too religious, I believe for us, since it is supposed to be the happiest time of the year to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas. We have told our DS that it is okay to get caught up in the commercialism to some extent as long as you never forget what Christmas is really about. Decorating the house has become a tradition along with baking gingerbread cookies througout the season and sticky buns Christmas morning. Then when the sales are on after the Holidays, DS and I venture out to see if there is anything of interest to us to use for next year.

Linda

I am going to chime back in here again and kinda sum up my feelings in one sentence. When it becomes a chore and is no longer fun - then it is out of control. Until then - I will decorate and enjoy and enjoy the smiles on my families faces and get caught up in the sights, sounds, and smells of the season.....

Lynne

Lynne, I think that sums it up perfectly! Enjoyment is such a big part of it, and making those you love happy in the process an *extra* bonus. Very well said. ;o)

This thread has been a great comfort to me since I'm another poster who has been through some less than happy Christmases. The upside is the creating new traditions (still working on that - I consider it a work in progress) as well as simplifying my decor style.

However, I'm lucky in the sense that I'm not terribly influenced by the latest trends being put forward by the design industry. It has to be priced right as well as fit my style, so even with my everyday home decor it's a pretty slow slog. 90% of the time I walk out of the stores empty handed.

Every generation seems to have the same complaint about the over-commercialization of Christmas. Yet I remember my paternal grandmother owning several items (linens, figurings) for holiday entertaining. I have vivid recollections of my mom (and I want to say this was 1965 or 1966) covering one of the walls in our DR with fuschia foil wrapping paper and arranging large branches spray painted white in front.

I have a book published in 1962 that discusses outdoor lighting. In it are several chapters regarding Christmas lighting, including a discussion about garish, over the top displays. So in a sense many of these concerns have always been with us.

IMO, what has changed over the years is more a response to the changing marketplace. How many of us here have gone to faux trees for purely practical reasons? I would never have switched if it wasn't for the fact that the quality sharply declined (when do they cut these things, september?) and the prices for a genuine fresh cut tree rose to ridiculous rates (over $100? Um, sorry, no).

Then we have the whole spectrum of products that are about convenience - net lights, pre-lit trees and garland, and those airblown lawn decorations. Even if you're not a fan of the airblowns in general, you have to admit they have some distinct advantages for the average homeowner: run an extension cord, stake the thing in place, plug it in and you have insta-festive. And after Christmas they require minimal storage space.

Sorry for the long essay, but I think some of the items we've seen come on the market in the past 10 years or so are a positive in terms of safety and saving time and money. Yes, there's a lot of stuff out there that leaves me scratching my head, but that always seems to be the stuff that they can't give away at the post-Christmas sales. ;-)

Such an interesting thread! IMO it's not only Christmas that is commercialized, every possible date of any importance in the year has become an excuse by manufacturers to produce a product to sell. However, everyone has a choice in what they want to buy. I think some people do buy more than they can afford which is unfortunate for their families who may go without more important things. That's a whole other subject tho.

I love lurking on this forum as so many of you do such lovely and creative decor in your homes. I really appreciate that many do it on small budgets buying at $ stores and thrift shops. I always see many ideas to copy. I try not to acquire too many more new things tho as have a lot of stuff already.

I think decorating and caring for one's home is one way for many to increase happiness for themselves and their families. That can't be a bad thing, can it? :)

Flattie, if it weren't for 'that-stuff-they-can't-give-away-at-the-post Christmas-sale' I would never have my pink Christmas tree(decorations/lights). It must have been almost 40 years ago(i'm 66)when I bought 6 stings of on-sale pink lights that no one seemed to want. Thru the years i've had to replace them, and it's been difficult, but when I find them, buy them up. I also bought pink garland that I still use today~I have to double the new stuff to make it as thick. To this day I still have an all pink/white/gold Christmas tree that I probably wouldn't have if it weren't for the after-Christmas sales. Heck, I would say 3/4 of my Christmas items are after-Christmas things.

I have a feeling i'm not alone re:the sales. ;o)

It's so nice seeing so many posting here. Glad this thread is enticing some of the lurkers to finally join in.
Christmas seems to bring out so many emotions and memories in all of us, and I know as women, we are usually the ones who set the mood for the whole family.
I try to sit aside some time after the decorating is done to just put on some Christmas music and enjoy them. This is my time to reflect on Christmases past and all the loved ones who shared them.
Then I wipe my eyes and put on a smile of gratitute for the loved ones I have now and determine to make this "the best Christmas yet." After all, I want to leave those good memories for the ones I leave behind someday too.
Remember you are very important to others in your life, be it family or friends. So whether it's the food, decorating, music, words of endearment, cheerfull attitude or those great big hugs, you add to their happiness and enjoyment of the season too.
Luvs

This is my first time visiting this forum and this thread struck a chord with me. While shopping for a Christmas ornament to take to a breakfast gathering to participate in a swap, I continue to be astounded by the array of ornaments and decorations that have absolutely nothing to do with Christmas....ornaments of sports figures and cartoon characters. I'm wondering how many children will grow up never having any idea about why we celebrate Christmas.

Beautiful post, Luvs. Thank you.

Welcome PF. I think maybe the advantage of having multiple trees is you can do a traditional one, and then do ones themed if you so choose. I just wish I "knew then what I know now". LOL. We'd always just done one regular tree when my kids were little. But now seeing what my DD and DIL do for their children makes me wish I could go back. Both put up BIG lovely traditional trees, but then they have the 4 ft skinny ones for each of their little children. My littlest granddaughter wanted Disney figures, my littlest grandson wanted action figures and race cars, etc. I think its so wonderful for each of the 4 youngest to have their very own tree and decorate it like THEY want each year. One grandson is now 10, and he still loves the idea of doing his own tree. I sure wish I'd done that for mine when they were little.

hugs, Karen