Sorry, after posting I saw the prior post on taking the tree down:O). Any event, any more comments?

I am the exception to the rule. I put my big tree up 3 years ago the first Christmas we were in this house and it is still up!
Nobody goes in my living room but me and I love going in there every morning and having my quiet time. I know I need to take it down before it gets too dusty, but I love it so.
I will probably take everything else down tomorrow because I have company coming for dinner Tuesday.
Betty

Any day now!!! I have 8 trees to dis-assemble and numerous decorations to put away. That's not even counting all the decorations on tables, countertops, windows, etc.! I'm having a hard time getting motivated.;o)

Well, mine is going to be up the longest its ever been this year. Tho its hard to break the 'ancient' habit of it coming down right at New Year's Day. I had decided when I started decorating that this year would be different. Due to health issues, it now takes me almost 2 wks to decorate the house (and that's only inside, I can't do outside). I really want to enjoy it as long as possible. I had thought I'd take it all down mid Jan. But I've got company coming from out of town then, followed by a dog club meeting at my house the 18th. And everyone wants me to leave up to see. Even my very traditional family says I should. Amazing, LOL. My kids take theirs down New Years, and my DH NEVER comments one way or the other. So for all of them to say wait another few weeks is really surprising. I really like having all the 'color' around and just the happy feeling that goes with Christmas decor.
The older I get, the more I want to hold on to these little moments in my Life. Betty has the right idea in my book.
In fact, she has given me something special in the way of Inspiration. Its sort of a personal revelation, and one that was badly needed. I'm really indebted to her in fact, and she has no idea what she's even done! LOL.

hugs, Karen

Betty, I am with you. I have been enjoying the mornings while it is still dark outside, just sitting with my first cup of coffee quietly enjoying the lighted tree rather than watching the always tragic news. Before I put the tree up, I had my coffee while watching the local news. It has been so nice. I am not looking forward to going back to "reality".

Pattycakes, LOL, "any day now". Too funny. I am inspired by your eight trees. I think next year I may attempt more than one tree! Have you posted pics of your trees? I'd love to see them. If you have posted the pics to this forum, which thread are the under?

Glad to know I am not the only person still enjoying the tree!

My angel tree in the living room stays up all year round. I also have 8 6ft trees to take down plus numerous 4ft and under trees and they will come down in stages with the two in the living room being the last to come down. I also like to go in there and just sit with only the tree lights on and wind down after I have gotten my Mom setteled for the night. The tree on the back porch is a nature/country tree and will stay up till I start moving house plants back outside sometime in early April. I could keep Christmas up all year -when I get a regular guestroom back again it will be a Christmas room all year - although I may change the theme from year to year ......

Lynne

Work-in-progress, no pics on the forum yet. I could plead stupidy, but I've been told numerous times *how* to post pics, but just don't take the time. Actually, I still need to take pics of my Christmas decorations! I'm gonna try reaaaaal hard to keep my promise and post pics. Just give me a bit of time....like Feb.!!LOL

Lynnencfan, like you, I would LOVE to keep my house decorated all year~my kids would think I had lost *all* my marbles. LOL I decorate with themes also, so will be leaving my Madigras tree up, since i'm thinking of having a party this year. I'm thinking of leaving the candles in the windows, too~it just seems to add more coziness to the rooms. I like your Christmas-all-year-room idea. ;o)

News Day is the latest. I like to have it all down & put away before DH goes back to work & the regular routine starts again.

I have a friend that used to put her decorated tree in the basement with a sheet thrown over it & every year, she would just haul it upstairs all decorated! Not a bad idea, unless you change decorations each year.

Karen, as long as it took you to put up your village, I'm glad to hear you're leaving it up for more people to enjoy!

Betty, three years? My family would have had me committed by now!!

Just got the tree out in the garage today. Not easy putting a tree back in the box. Never seems to fit right and those prelits are so heavy. My other tree is smaller and lighter. Did that one the other day. I love it when all the decorations are up but after a month I am glad to see it go, just don't like the packing it all up.

Okay, what about the other things you use to decorate for Christmas?

I am in the process of boxing up my Buyer's Choice things. Just moving some things around:)).

I aim for the day after Twelfth Night, so that would be January 7th . . . but DS being home from college and now grad school has complicated this in recent years. I put up tons of decs and four trees and hate to have his last days here before he heads back, with our home in chaos. Soooooo, I wait until he heads back whenever that happens to be; it changes from year to year. He gets his Masters in May, so I may get back on my normal schedule until DD heads off to college in 2011!
As it is, though, like many of you here, I cherish my early mornings and my evenings just sitting quietly, enjoying the peace and beauty of our tree.
Lynn
Lynn

I wait until DH goes back to work after New Year's, then I start.

This year I am just not into it. I started today, and it's made me really sad. Usually, I'm a little distressed by the huge job in front of me, but this year I REALLY don't want to do it.

I got quite a bit accomplished today, although when you look around there's still a lot of it out there. I usually leave the tree in the den up till last, but this year, I don't want to take down the living room tree either. I've decided to dismantle everything but the trees.

Probably next Monday, I'll start with the LR tree, it usually takes about a day and a half. Then I'll do the den tree, it goes much more quickly. Hopefully, by then I'll be ready to be de-Christmased. - Gail

Pattycakes, after all that hard work putting up those trees and decorations, I can't believe you haven't shared some pics on here with us! We wanna see! Luvs

Gail, if it makes you sad to take things down, then don't till you're really ready for them to be put away. Holding on to the Christmas spirit, or finding joy in the decorations, shouldn't be ruled by a calendar....at least that is my feeling these days.

hugs, Karen

If you are feeling sad about taking them down then keep them up until you are ready. I have done that in the past when I haven't taken them down until the middle to end of Jan. This year for some reason I couldn't wait to get them down. Don't know why.

I was on break the last two weeks and I wanted to organize all my seasonal things so I took down most of my xmas decorations the day after New Year's day. The TV room was a disaster area with all my stuff spread around for a couple of days!!! I still have the stacked plates and some snowmen stuff and that will probably stay for another couple of weeks.

Mo

Luvs, I just took pictures yesterday!Having just moved into the new house in Oct., and getting things put away, Christmas was upon me veeeeeery quickly! I also had 5 family members staying with me, anywhere from 5 days to 2 weeks. Christmas shopping AND decorating was still going on.

But you're right, with so much hard work, I need to post pics~everything looks so pretty, if I may say so myself. Guess that's why I hate to take it all down. Then when I think about, it may give me another excuse for shopping. A new house always needs a *few* new things! ;o)

Karen, You have my curiosity up now! Whatever do you mean?

Work in progress, So don't go back to reality. Who says you have to hear the news. If you don't want to keep a big tree up, get a small one and put your very favorite ornaments on it. Them go in every morning and turn it on and enjoy. Simple!

Yacht, They love me, so they shake their heads and take great pleasure in telling everyone that I keep my tree up all of the time. I often wonder if folks driving up the road look up the hill at my lit tree in the window in July (if I turn it on, sometimes I don't) and wonder what nut lives in that house!!! Besides, I like being an eccentric old lady! Tommorrow isn't promised to anyone and I enjoy my tree so I'll keep it up until whenever!
Betty

Betty, its a bit lengthy to explain, and I hope I don't bore everyone with it. But here goes.....

My dad is 84 yrs old, lives with me, has heart and kidney disease. Sadly, its often on my mind that I could lose him at ANY time. Tomorrow, or a year from tomorrow. I don't know. (other than mostly likely it will be due to the aneurysm bursting according to his heart doctor)

When he's gone, my Life will be quite empty! There's hardly been a time when my Dad wasn't a major physical presence in my life. Growing up he was not only my Dad, he was my best friend! Always taking me places or playing games or doing something fun. Always!! My friends, all thru my life, have told me what great Dad I have. He fills most of the good memories I have of my childhood, and a lot of them since. So I really can't imagine my life without him.
I guess that seems kind of silly for someone in her 60's. But I apparently will never stop being a "Daddy's Girl".
The past year, my mind has been full of thoughts about his bedroom when he's not there anymore...and how I can face it.
I don't need, or want a guest bedroom, and if I had it for that, it would seem MORE empty-- and even sterile--to me. Dad has always been so full of life and joy! He's like a big kid at times. Constantly full of jokes and laughing.
He loves people, and never met a stranger in his life.

Well I guess with this holiday season, I had a crazy thought. YOU happened to mention about your Xmas tree up for 3 years and how much you enjoyed it. So I've been thinking what if Dad's room someday becomes a Xmas room?! The door would remain closed (due to the cats, LOL), and in a way it would sometimes seem like he was just on the other side as I walk by. Plus Dad LOVES Christmas, and all the decorations. The room would be my little "Happy Place" to go in. I'd put some of our family photos on the walls too, along with the portraits I have of my parents. (Mom died in 2001)

I think doing this would help me deal with his absence, otherwise that room will just haunt me with its silent, empty feeling. (Funny thing, Betty, YOU made me have these thoughts......and that was my mother's name too!)
I talked about all this with my daughter and also my daughter-in-law, and both thought it was a great idea. They know that I'm going to have a terrible time when Dad is no longer here. In fact when they are over here, that room without him would also hit them hard too. They could share in it being a Happy Place too. Suzie even thought it would be sort of a tribute to Dad (and my Mom) since they loved Christmas so much. I'm hoping when I open the door to his room, and he's not there any longer, that I will be surrounded by good feelings instead of pain and emptiness.

Sorry to ramble on so.
hugs, Karen

Oh Karen, I know exactly how you are feeling. My Daddy was my hero too.
I was the baby and was also his shadow. I hated when I had to go to school because it took me away from my precious time with my Daddy. I lost him in '97 and Mama in '98.
For a long time after I lost them I would get angry every time I saw an older couple going down the road in a car.
But, time does heal all wounds. And I have so many wonderful memories.
One suggestion I must make: grill your Dad relentlessly about his life growing up and every detail about his and your Mom's life together before you were born and while you were too young to remember. Ask all kinds of questions while you can. How I wish I could ask Mom and Dad so many things that I will never know.
I love your idea for the Christmas room. Glad I had a part in it.
Love on that Daddy every chance you get. Give him a kiss for me too!
Betty

Karen - I can't believe how your post echoed my thoughts exactly this year. I am caregiver to my 93yr old mother who is under hospice care. She had made mention at one point during the holidays that this will probably be her last one. Ever since she made that statement I have had the urge to NOT let the season end and even last night while talking with my husband stated that I just didn't want to take the main trees down. Putting away the kitchy Santas, snowmen, ect doesn't bother me but it is the trees I can't dismantle. I moved my mother in with me the fall after my husband of 38 years passed away in 2003. I just couldn't stand the 'empty' house and her health was failing so it was a win-win for both of us. I have since been blessed with the marriage of a wonderful man who is like a son to my mother and can't do enough for her. We will both feel the emptiness when she is gone and have talked about making her room a Christmas room also. Yesterday the hospice social worker was here and we spent a very long time talking about this very thing (she was also my case worker with my late husband so she knows where I am coming from). She definitely encouraged leaving things up if it gives us all comfort. I think what you are planning is a wonderful tribute but I will also pray that both you and I have many more days/months and years to share with our parent.......

(((((((hugs))))))) - Lynne

Karen,
I was so touched by your post and thats a wonderful idea. Your dad sounds like a wonderful fun person!!

Mo

I should have known there would be wonderful understanding here! I almost wasn't going to tell anyone about my idea, then wanted to see how my DD and DDIL reacted to it. They were so positive, and that made me think I didn't have to hide my plan. (I'm sure those two girls think I'm a bit nuts most of the time, LOL. But hey, they love me anyway.)

Betty, luckily I do know so many details about Dad's life.
Funny thing is, two of his 3 very best friends from GRADE SCHOOL, are still alive. The other sidekick died a few months ago. They never left the hometown in Alabama, tho Dad did. But he used to visit them yearly, and talks to them on the phone a few times a week. Can you imagine having your best friends around for 75 years!!! I love it. Anyway, he'll get on the phone and say "remember the time....." and then he launches into another funny story or recollection. My oldest grand-daughter actually sat down and interviewed him last Fall, and is planning to put together a small book of his life, with photos, and share a copy with everyone in the family. That means his 8 great grandkids will also know so much about him.

I know many little girls think their daddys hung the moon...well mine BOUGHT me a piece of it. LOL. About 10 yrs ago I read that a person could "buy" an acre on the Moon for something like $35. Presidents, actors, many very well known people, did that in fact. You get a deed, and a map showing where your acre is.! And its on the 'front' of the moon that we here on Earth see. So Dad, knowing my love of the moon, bought me a piece of it once upon a time.

hugs, Karen

Lynne and Karen, You two are both wonderful people to be so loving and caring of your parents. It is a hard undertaking there will be special crowns for you when you get to heaven. My mom takes care of gram and she has alzheimers. You can tell her something and 3min latter it's like it never happened. But Boy can she tell you stories from years ago. My mom has a hard time and I live too far away to help. So you both have my utmost respect. Just remember to take care of yourselves too!!!

I think having a Christmas room to disappear into would be wonderful.

I took everything down today except the village. I'm still enjoying it just a little longer. Dh helped cart the boxes to the basement. Everything is a little more organized this year. Next year it will be easier.

Oh thanks for the reminder. I really need to get on that!