I always drag my heels a little when it’s time to put up the Christmas decorations at our house, but once I get started, I enjoy it a lot. And once it’s finished, I LOVE it! There’s just something about twinkly lights and candles and Christmas music and everything else that goes with our traditional celebrations of the most wonderful event in the history of the world. The birth of Jesus…the Reason for the season.
We don’t go all out at our house for Christmas, and in fact, there’ve been some years that I wouldn’t even have put the tree up if not for our kids’ insistence. It’s really not that I’m a Scrooge, but sometimes keeping it simple just seems…well, simpler.
One year my office got a little book-ish Christmas tree. I took it down before our grandkids arrived since we had a whole bunch of crawlers and toddlers that year, but I sure enjoyed it while it lasted.
Our tree gained a new ornament just last night, a gift sent from my writer friend, Steph, who knows how much I love globes. (I think this ornament will stay up year round somewhere in my house!)
Do you have your decorations up? How long do they stay up at your house? (They come down early at ours…usually the day after Christmas, but since our Christmas with our kids is the week between Christmas and New Years this year, I’ll leave them up until 2021. 😊)
I pray that despite all the craziness in the world right now, you will be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord with your loved ones and that you will find some quiet spaces among the noise to truly celebrate the Gift we’ve been given.
Latest posts by Deborah Raney (see all)
- We Shopped at Piggly Wiggly - May 12, 2025
- Happy Mother’s Day! - May 11, 2025
- Research Trip - April 28, 2025
Since my husband grew up (marginally) Russian Orthodox, we put up our tree late – it’s not up yet – and keep it around for Orthodox Christmas on January 6. In honor of his grandparents, we eat a meatless pierogi dinner and exchange small gifts, usually things that arrived too late in the mail for Christmas, lol. I understand the ambivalence of putting up and taking down a tree, as one year I went on strike and refused to pack it away by myself. When Holy Week arrived and I threatened to put bunnies and eggs on it, the family caved and finally got it down!
LOL! I like your strategy with the bunnies and eggs, Janice! 🙂
Yes, we have our house decorated for Christmas. 🎄 We start decking the halls the day after Thanksgiving, and we usually pack everything up again right after Christmas. Everything, but the tree which stays up until January 6th, the Epiphany.
Merry Christmas, and thank you for sharing photos of your home. I so want to try the book-tree, but I doubt our two cats will allow it.
Oh, your cats would love it! 😉
Our tree is up, courtesy of our son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The rest of the decorations will take a little longer, but I am planning to downsize some this year.
That’s wonderful that you had help putting your tree up, Betty. The more the merrier!
I decorate the day after Thanksgiving and they stay up till New Year’s Day. My tree and Nativity stay to the epiphany .My favorite Christmas piece is my Willow Tree Nativity set. I love your book tree very clever.
My friend collects the Willow Tree pieces. They are SO pretty and elegant.
Deb, Your home is lovely! I don’t decorate, but I admire those who have the talent to do so!
Awww, thanks so much, Caryl.
We start with the tree the day after Thanksgiving. Over the next week the lights go up on the bakers rack and the top of the curtains in the living room. Then come the tabletop decorations. These will stay up till the 12 Days of Christmas are over the 6th of January.
I like how you take your time and decorate over the course of several days!