I like my holidays one at a time! When I was growing up, we waited till the first day of vacation from school, before we put up the tree. It kept us kids busy for a while.
The yule decorating bug usually hits me in December- once we get a cold snap. I decorated a Norfolk Island Pine for a few years. I like real trees but would rather have a potted one, than a cut one. I also decorated shelves and stuff with fresh branches from the nearest tree lot and put ornaments on them too.
Hubby is not into decorating for holidays- any of them, so that takes some of the fun out of it for me now. I worked at a place that played carols nonstop from late November till after New Years. Too much of anything can drive you crazy. I don't like them now.
I may sound like Scrooge BUT I think Christmas shouldn't Start until December!
Each and every year we skip Thanksgiving and move straight to Christmas. I hate the commercialism of Christmas too. Christmas should not be about stuff, but about love. Stuff cannot replace love. We will put our lights up the first weekend in December and the tree will go up a week before Christmas. In our household the tree putting up time is a celebration and major family time.
I am fortunate hubby loves lights and loves putting up a great display on the lawn....which is great cause I love it also.
I am now not caring about the commercial side of Christmas. I used to let it get to me a bit but then I truly realized, I will not allow that to take me away from a wonderful time of year.....so truly, I have a whole new attitude towards the holidays. I love every single minute of them!!
Cool FJ...nice site and the music was fine!
remember everyone, the holidays are what you make them.....don't let in the ugly side to destroy the wonderful side of the holidays!
I have to say the slower pace life becomes for me the more I enjoy everything around me. I never noticed that truly being so darn busy all these years did take alot away from my daily life. I won't let it anymore.....so yea, I slowed down to enjoy it all now.
But I remember my SIL was so thankful that they had stuff out early. Then she could put things on layaway and have them paid off to enjoy before Christmas.
We don't get into Christmas trees, though I have placed a small one on the porch the last couple of years. We always put up a small nativity and sort of center our decorations around that, like one would a tree. We place the gifts around it, lights, candles, etc.
For me, decorating for Christmas is one of my favorite times of year because I glean most of my stuff from the outdoors and use it in pretty ways to give the house a festive feel, look and smell. I'm not much into prefab decorations...I think watching The Walton's Christmas special when I was young nearly ruined me! I like to decorate like poor folk.... wait!...I AM poor folk....I keep forgetting...
I love the colors, the lights, the smells...I just love the whole reverence of Christmas in my house and am always eager to get it up, reluctant to take it down and smile every time I pass by it in my home.
I love Christmas songs also! Can't get enough of them....
I like Christmas music too I am more of Joy to the World, We Three Kings or O Come All Ye Faithful person though. I was like that when I was a younger kid