Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: groundhog on August 28, 2017, 01:37:31 PM
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Hello ladies,
There was a time I was heavily into Christmas decorations, I would decorate several rooms and it would take ages to put up and even longer to take down as th Christmas euphoria had long gone. We are in process of clearing attic and OH has just brought down 17 boxes of Xmas stuff! I have to be ruthless,.
Just wondered if you all stick to the traditional decorating or are you more minimalistic these days. I'm of a mind to keep all the really nice stuff and bin the rest want to get down to two or three boxes. On the basis I can't get up the attic any more and don't have half the energy I used to have, I have no choice.
What do you ladies?
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We have a real tree , that is traditionally dressed. No decorations hanging from the ceilings etc . I make my own door wreath from collected items out walking and dried from September onwards , Holly /Ivy from the garden ( basically free ) , and the odd jam jars decorated by the children when younger with t-lights in them.
Not sure if that answers your question 🤔
What you don't want I would give to your local charity shop. 😊
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Still traditional here. I decorate as many rooms as I can although one year I didn't and my sons were really not impressed. We hae a floor to ceiling real tree plus hanging decorations lots of tinsel and also things that my children made when they were young. I also have the a tree decoration which mum and dad bought for my first Christmas! I can remember that I always wanted my mum and dad to keep things as they had always been even though I was in my forties! ;D I just think that I'll do it while I can but I feel that you should do as you want to groundhog - you have so much to contend with. Keep the best bits and send the rest, as Maryjane suggests, to charity. No point in wearing yourself out even more!
Taz x
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I live on my own. All I have is a lighted tree in my front garden, a small 'designery ' tree in the living room and my cards up. And a front door wreath.
Practically nothing really.
Bramble
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Sounds like you have as many boxes of stuff as me. Not because I won't throw it away but I change my 'theme' every year. (Drives my husband up the wall). Love the build up to Christmas and the actual day, but then I just want to get back to normal.
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We have a large artificial tree, as I'm allergic to real ones, well to touching them. I decorate that and put out cards and that's it. We've become minimalist over the years.
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Charity shop it !!! don't tip it as it goes into landfill. Plus a lot is plastic :-X
I have decorations that go back to the 1950s. Plus 'tat' that takes my fancy in the Sales ;D as well as a large tree which has sparkly electric lights on at night from about 15th Dec through to .........
I didn't put a tree up last year as I haven't space with the current layout of the room.
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Thanks all.
Littletminnie that's why I have s much, I used to change colour themes - how things change!
Ju Ju - yes I've scaled right down. I remember Xmas 2014 I went to town and decorated everywhere - I went into hospital before 12th night and so some things were still up, as you know disaster struck and when I came out of hospital in the April, some of the Xmas stuff was still out! I thought then never again, at least not until I'm well - still waiting for that one x
So it will be keep the best and recycle the rest. Maybe some to Carboot for those fitter and younger than me who still enjoy lots of decorations x
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Definitely take any decorations you don't want to charity shops, I dropped some off last year. We have an artificial tree, our decs are quite minimalistic.
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Totally traditional. Real tree, open fire, roast chestnuts roasted on the fire. This year, all white and sparkling cake with a pastillage village lit with battery operated tea lights. Royal iced and melted down hard boiled sweets to make 'stained glass' windows.
Pastillage is stronger than other cake modelling mediums.
Three cakes this year, so more time on each👼🎅
No chicken on menu, it would upset our girls. However, Christmas Day spent with my Mum at her residential home. Roast turkey on that menu.
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Sounds wonderful.
I hate Christmas, baa humbug. >:(
It's the commercialisation of it that I hate.
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I agree Dulciana. The shops will start getting all their Christmas things in soon :(
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Already out in the shops here ! It's August !😬
I enjoy Christmas ,well the nostalgia of it , but this is ridiculous !
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I've always enjoyed Christmas. DH didn't. Not helped by to work at Christmas. But since retiring and even more since grandchildren, he has entered into the spirit of things. Commercialism always got him down more than me, as I find I can tune it out. I rarely watch commercials on tv now as I tend to watch stuff I record, so that helps.
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I agree Dulciana. The shops will start getting all their Christmas things in soon :(
Thanks Yorkshire Girl. It is, after all, one of the two most important events in the Christian calendar.
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Like quite a numbering of you, I really dislike the commercial side of Christmas. As Dulciana says, Christmas is one of the two most important celebrations in the Christian Church. Indeed, without Christmas there can be no Easter.
Looking through channels on the TV one day recently, I noticed some shopping channels, where I was appalled to see Christmas programmes selling 'stuff'. The studios were all decked out and Christmas music was in the background. GGGGGGrrrrrrrrrr!
Brighteyes
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;D - we went to Bourton on the Water recently and the Christmas Shop is open all year :lol: and appeared to be doing a roaring trade - I managed not to go in ;)
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..................Indeed, without Christmas there can be no Easter.
Brighteyes
Oh, thank you for saying that, Brighteyes. Hear, hear! Yes! and Absolutely! It's the kind of thing I would love to shout from the rooftops!!
D.
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I've always seen it put the other way around - Without Easter there would be no Christmas!
Taz x :)
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......... *what* no eggs :o ;) - and what *would* we talk about ::)
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I solved the problem of having too many boxes of decorations by buying a bigger box so now I only have one 😂
I do love to decorate for Xmas ,I don't have a real tree because I'm allergic to them but I have a really good artificial one,I started a tradition of buying my daughters a decoration each years ago now so that when they moved into their own places they would have some to start them off,they then started to buy me one each every year,they are all really special and I love hanging them on my tree,I also keep saying I'm going to make my own wreath but I haven't got round to it yet
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Taz, but birth comes before death. There are so many sayings about what comes before which.
I just find all the commercial side distasteful, the pressure on parents to get the latest whatever or their little darling will be damaged for life. What I don't get is why the 'season' has to start in September, or June as I saw in one outlet! By the time December arrives everyone already feels jaded, or so I have observed. The presents that have to go abroad I get, early shopping makes sense. I've sent and received enough of those over the decades.
What does everyone else think? DH and I always say that once we leave the Midnight service on Christmas Eve, that "now Christmas has begun". Our faith is important to us.
I made my Mum an embroidered picture on year. She said it was the best present I had ever given her. I'll leave it to you to think how much that meant to me.
Brighteyes
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Taz, but birth comes before death. There are so many sayings about what comes before which.
Brighteyes
I think it's because without Easter then the baby born in a manger would just have been a baby born in a manger. It was what happened at Easter and the Resurrection which made Christmas important. I think it was Billy Graham who explained this but can't be sure.
Taz x
Taz x
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As said before, I love Christmas.
I don't go to church. Maybe rebellion, but forced to do so as a child each Sunday, being bored and observing what I considered unchristian behaviour there finished me off. However I respect and am interested other people's religions and cultures and have my own private beliefs.
For me Christmas is a loving family time. We don't eat more than normal, keep rich foods to a minimum ( Christmas cake and pudding and a few other bits which I can't eat anyway), presents bought according to what we can afford and only for close family, though if my niece and nephew have children, I will indulge in a small because I will want to. The perfect Christmas is a relaxed one without expectations.
All the commercialism doesn't impinge on this. It just is and I won't allow myself to be affected. It is a choice. I don't understand why some parents feel they have to buy a child's wish list. Being open and honest from early on about what is affordable with your children isn't difficult and helps them have a better understanding of finances. I actually do feel sorry for wealthy parents though as saying I'm sorry but I can't afford that won't wash, even if you feel it would be unhealthy to fulfil all their wishes. A different approach needed I suspect.
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It's the same with Birthday Party Bags - I'm sure if 1 Mum said a firm 'no' others would breath a huge sigh of relief ;D
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I loved making up my childrens party bags - they don't have to be filled with expensive stuff.
Taz x :D