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I am eagerly awaiting the day this happens in our house. They’ve received ornaments as gifts over the years, and when we were young and foolish we started the tradition of having them each choose an ornament every Christmas. Resulting in so many ornaments that I’d need several trees to hold all of them.</p>
<p>I’ll keep the ones they made in elementary school, though most are in some state of deterioration by now. :D</p>
<p>Have to admit that our house looks wonderfully festive after DD and I spent only about 2 hours yesterday putting out all the Christmas chachkees (how does one really spell that?).</p>
<p>Christmas chachkees (how does one really spell that?).</p>
<p>lol - inquiring minds want to know</p>
<p>We have one D who has graduated and is living on her own out of town. Last year after Christmas we wrapped and boxed most of her Christmas ornaments so she would have them for this year (I reserved the right to keep some of her “baby’s first year” ornaments - after all, I"m the one who labored for her to be there that Christmas!! haha)</p>
<p>I assumed we had given the box to her. She was home for Thanksgiving and was planning to go back to her townhouse and put up her tree. The next week when getting our decorations down from the attic, I found her box of ornaments. Lesson: when you pack up those ornaments make sure you actually GIVE them to your child to use!!! :)</p>
<p>We started giving the kids ornaments with the intention of them taking them with them when they got their own homes. I try to get them something that represents something “big” that year-driver’s license, sports team recognition, etc.</p>
<p>I love this topic. I also let my kid pick out an ornament every xmas. We now have all the glass animals imaginable. </p>
<p>I love picking out a xmas tree. Decorating not so much. I do as much as I can. Ribbons on evergreens, gralands on the front porch. I love welcome candles. One of these days, I would love to put up wreaths on the dormers.</p>
<p>^^^ Same! So many ornaments out there you can find just about anything - even got my son a cell phone ornament the year he got his first cell phone.</p>
<p>I love decorating for Christmas. I try to do a simple yet impactful decor and I only adorn the tree with ornaments I love. H is a lighting scrooge, so the only outdoor lights are around my front door. I just found out that my window washer hangs outside lights…hmmmm, next year my washing bill just might go up!</p>
<p>The other day I was going to haul up the Nativity set. I smiled as I remembered how fun it was to listen to the boys do arrange it when they were little. Each animal had to be arranged just so, there were some wars with the figurines, etc. I stopped my self and thought now that they are both away at college, how fun it would be for them to once again set this up together…or not…</p>
<p>I still have boxes of cheaper (early in marriage) garland, lights, etc that I was going to box up for the kids when they get their first home. I wonder if they even want the stuff??</p>
<p>We do minimal decorations - a tree, the stockings, some wall hangings, nativity scene and a wreath on the front door. No lights outside, etc. H says it’s too expensive. I believe we will continue this after the kids are all gone. I expect that 2 of them will come back to the house every Christmas until they get married, and plus, I like it.</p>
<p>One of my girls and I also decorate my Mom’s house for her the day after Thanksgiving. Lots of nick-nacks, nativity scene, stockings, mantle decorations, table decorations, tree, and wreaths outside. Extended family goes to her house - so we do it for her.</p>
<p>Our lights are up outside but that’s about it so far. Dh and DS came home with a tree so massive it almost takes up the path between the dining room table and the living room. I’m not even sure we have enough lights to go around it. </p>
<p>Hubby likes to wait until the second week to decorate and then wants to leave it all up past New Years. I’m the opposite – get the tree and get it all cleaned up on the 26th. No chance of that this year.</p>
<p>I do not like to take anything down before the New Years. I need to ease into the aftermath after all the build up. Otherwise, all you face is the long grey winter.</p>
<p>I try to keep it up till NYears, but this one’s kinda dry. May not make it much past Christmas.</p>