Before moving into our current home, I got rid of 2/3 of our Christmas decorations. Over the years I had collected so many decorations and they were beginning to take up so much storage space. When we had plenty of storage space, it didn't seem like a big deal, but this house is different and I knew I could only keep what I really loved.
As I pulled out the box of decorations, I began to wonder what I might miss that I had gotten rid of. It turns out I don't miss any of it, and I actually kept more than I need or want.
I've tried to keep it really simple and after several days of experimenting and moving things around, I love the results. The only room we really decorated is the family / dining room. This is the heart of our home and where we spend the majority of our time as a family. Mostly we have the tree, nativity set and a berry accent on the mantel.
Originally I had our full nativity set up, but every time I looked at it, I shuddered at the cluttered feeling it was giving me. I decided to minimize the set to the most important figures - Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. I really like how it looks.
The rest of the house has "touches" of Christmas. For example, in our bathroom I exchanged our regular towels for the guest towels (which happen to be red). I have a couple Christmas kitchen towels that spruce up the kitchen, and a table runner on the table. I also have a picture of the girls from a couple years ago at Christmas. I used to put up one from every year, but decided to pick my favorite and more fully enjoy it.
Things I'm doing without....I decided not to hang our stockings, thus eliminating the need for the stocking holders. We usually don't hang them out because, although they are beautiful (they were a handmade wedding present from a dear friend), they are not our style. And when we had kids, we were always worried they would pull on them and possibly pull the heavy holder down on their head.
We are also doing without the fake greenery on the banisters and the wreaths on the door. They never added to my enjoyment of the holiday.
I'm definitely getting rid of even more next year! One of the problems I have, is multiple nativity scences, and I feel worse getting rid of those! Lol.
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