Karen,
I got all my fall/Thanksgiving decs down and put away [except for a few things I found]. I put up my little Santa tree, one wreath, washed, ironed and hung kitchen Christmas curtains. Next comes the dreaded job of hauling out the bins and bringing them up from the basement.
The fun begins!!
Nana

Karen, funny you ask? I'm pretty stiff and sore this morning! I got up at 6 yesterday and by 6 last night I was sitting with the foot massager running on high w/heat.LOL The funniest thing was after taking down all the fall, our DR looked like a ghost town! DD and her husband decorated the middle yard area on Thanksgiving while I finished up preparing dinner so that was sweet.

Hauling the totes over and in is on the top of my list. I do load the truck to help w/hauling. Then after going through what totes I have in and sometimes hauling them back out cuz it's not what I'm looking for wears me out! As I set out my rocking nutcrackers yesterday, I thought of you and it made me smile.

I have alot of bins marked and for some reason didn't have an interest in using them. I did get the lg china hutch and buffets decorated for now. Hoping to get the tree up and decorated today. I was planning on doing it pink and lime green but DGD wants me to come up and help her decorate hers with some of the things I had out for ours. I think I need to quit trying to change things up and just use the same stuff year after year in the same place. This seems to take the most time for me.

Nana, your home is sounding pretty festive!Yeah I'm so excited to see everyone's decor pictures. Just reading you two have started makes me a Happy Girl!!! Thanks for the motivation.

Punk

Karen, I'm really glad you're in the mood to decorate! All this talk has inspired me too. It was 6F here last night and there's 6" of snow on the ground, so, like Nana, I'm planning to remove the autumn decor today.

What I love most about decorating is the planning. I want my decor to be different every year and I like to create things myself. I'm not so crazy about actually "doing" the decorating -- like getting out the step-ladder, pulling out the boxes and bins and going through them trying to find things, and fiddling with hanging. I generally like it in the end, but will frequently change decor when I decide that something doesn't work as well in real life as it did in my head, so the decorating process is fairly long for me, I guess.

I was making willow wreaths for my porch windows, but think I've just decided to go with an artificial tree out there instead -- definitely with white lights.

Enjoy!

ohhhhhh...the weather outside is frightful ~~~
well, inside is a bit disorganized, too!!... just like you're talking about, Purplemoon! But I love it!

Always think of all you, Holiday-ers, here on the forum when I'm unpacking totes & appreciating all the 'instagators' here! LOL!

I think of you, purplemoon, when my 'woodland Santa' comes out of the tote ~~makes me smile, too. We do have fun here!

Well, I'm unpacking totes, too & this 'tin' Santa on old barnwood had to come home w/me last month from a thrift shop $5 ... a 'treasure!' & the tall snowman was a find @an antique store after Christmas & into the new yr while shopping w/friends ... (not old, the snowman, I'm talkin' about!)

So have fun, Holiday-ers, & share lots of pics...love 'em! ~~Jeanne S

I hate hauling the totes out and back. I want a storage room right off the living room so I don't have to climb stairs with totes!!!

Last year, I had some help, so I was able to put up my whole Dept. 56 village, but this year, I'm doing it all alone. As a result, I have minimized my decor plan. I hauled out five totes and that's all that is going out. I want to enjoy my decorating, so I am going slowly and taking pleasure in each vignette. There will be less, but I will enjoy it to the fullest.

The fireplace is complete. Next up is the top of the armoire.

The part I really hate about Christmas decorating is when Christmas is over and you have to wait 365 days to decorate for Christmas again! I think we will leave our decorations up well into January this year. This is my favorite time of year. It gives us a chance to "bling" up the old homestead. It silly but when we unpack the Santas, Snowmen, Nativity and Angels, it just gives everything an aura of fun and love and respect for the season.

This is turning out to be a fun post, I love hearing what you guys are doing. Or not. :o) swest, your comments were great. I am always sad to take my decor down too, the house just feels so "empty" when Christmas is over, and even a bit sad. The last few years I broke the old habit of packing stuff up after New Year's and waiting till after Little Christmas on Jan 12 to do it. Much better :o)

Party, your weather sounds horrid. You living in Alaska??? Wish I could share mine with you, this is our perfect time of year, when the heat is finally gone. Its in the low 70's right now. Tho hard to feel Christmas spirit living in Phoenix where everything stays so green.(but 2 hrs from me, AZ does get weather like yours if anyone is inclined to be in it)
I agree, its fun to change the decor around each year and do different things. Tho this year, my head doesn't want to get into it very well unfortunately. So a lot of mine is a repeat from last year. In fact its almost embarrassing that my entry way is the same for the 3rd time!! But just seems the perfect place for my big wreath with all the purple decorations on it, and my big mercury glass deer. I tried to make myself change it out but ended up with the same ol' look. And the other big wreath I made is over the fireplace mantel again in the family-room. If any of you remember some of my last year's decor, you are going to recognize a lot is the same this time. Sorry about that.
PUNK, yes its much easier to NOT change things around... and right now that is what I have to go with. But I think you'd not like repeating stuff each year. You're too creative! Thank you for thinking of me with the rocking Nutcrackers. Because of you, I got a big one last year!! And have 2 or 3 small ones. All are now together on the living-room hearth. :o)

You found some neat goodies, Jeannie. And you know, you're right about thinking of others here when we are unpacking our stuff. Certain things bring so many of you to mind, and it makes me smile thinking about you as I decorate with them. Any woodland stuff I have always is with you in mind, Jeanne. And snowmen have Luvs name all over them, know they are her favorites. Bears for Kirk of course. And so on.....! But I hadn't even really thought about this part till you put it into words. And now I'm sitting here smiling knowing as I unpack more, I'll have many of you there in the room with me. :o) How wonderful, I'm not alone afterall !!

Nana and Fun2, I'm so sorry you have to add STAIRS to your list of dreaded things. Gosh, I'd seriously be unable to store stuff like you do. I always thought it would be great to have a basement or attic.....living in Phoenix, its something people just don't have as a rule.
But hauling bins and totes up and down, ugh. (actually now I am physically unable to do stairs as my right knee collapses on me.) I have a small storage shed in the backyard around the side of the house. But it doesn't hold much, so my stuff is all over the place which makes me feel disorganized no matter how much I mark bins or make lists. And I still 'lose' things, LOL. Tho I do know many of you do that too, so I'm in good company.

I didn't get much done today, my legs rebelled from Thurs night and Friday. Like Fun2 just said tho....
" I want to enjoy my decorating, so I am going slowly and taking pleasure in each vignette. There will be less, but I will enjoy it to the fullest."
hugs, Karen

This was fun to read this morning. Can you tell I stayed up late and slept in? As I siad Karen, you was in the spot light when the nutcrackers came out. As I brought out my woodland decor, Jeanne took center stage. Love your new finds Jeanne!

Then what to my wondering eyes would appear when I finished decorating the tree. A tablecloth turned into a Christmas curtain cuz Nana has them!LOL It was barely long enough to cover the rod but looks better than the curtain. Good thing I live in the sticks and can't run and shop with every whim and to tired to drag out others that might of been longer.haha

It's fun how so many of you have taken me in new directions on here. And thus, my cupboards over flowing, so to speak! Have a fun day and stay warm and safe.

Punk

I think the worst part for me is having to clean the entire house before putting anything up. I have to take down all the curtains, vacuum and wash the windows, clean the curtains, iron them, then put them back up, wipe the baseboards, etc. I hate cleaning around decorations. So today I thought for a change I'd make my front entrance pretty. I had a whole cool vision of putting sparkly white branches in my front entrance planters and some berries, big round ornaments and greenery, etc. I got all bundled up, got out my little shovel and...the dirt and dead annuals in my pots out front are frozen solid. Ew. don't you hate when you're so pumped to do something but it doesn't work out? So instead I cleaned the bathroom. Ew again. I wish I could afford Merry Maids. I'd spend my time decorating and redecorating for the holidays. How do people DO it?

sameboat, I once bought a ton of silk mums and silk poinsettias to put in the window boxes for the autumn and xmas season. The mums looked great but when I tried to switch them out after T-day, I found the stems had frozen into the soil solidly. I never could get them out to switch to the poinsettias. I was literally stuck with those mums right through easter. lol!

Karen, it has been COLD here and we've had several snowstorms already. We got lucky and had some of it melt a bit today. :)

I got my cushion covers made today and couldn't wait to see how they looked. I have almost all the autumn decor down and it's looking like I'll go with red and white on the porch. I love it!!! I may decorate the windows rather than use a tree. It's a work in progress. :O)

Oh wow, party! the red velvet cushions look awesome! Nice choice & nice work! & w/those poinsetta's, too! Beautiful, beautiful! How about spray painting some white branches to use in one of your baskets or a container ... w/sprigs of red berries? Oh gosh, I just LOVE what you have going on here! ;-)

purplemoon... I think no matter what, we lose things ...I dread that ...when I know I have it & I think I'm organized & something has disappeared! LOL!

I'm done with the dining room & this afternoon we decorated our tree in the living room ... so a little bit @a time.

These are some burlap 'tags' I am making ... using raffia ribbon & then attaching these beautiful 'walnut scroll saw 3-D ornaments (called icicles) that my DH has been creating. They take a long time... & are very lovely! The tags are about 7" tall ...so you can judge the size. Sweet, uh! They are prettier 'holding them up' than laying down here on top of my printer. ;-)

Am lovin' this post, too ~~ thanks, Holiday-ers! Jeanne S.

Gorgeous Jeanne! Love new and original looks :)

Beautiful 'icicles', Jeanne! and thanks for liking my porch in red and the suggestion to use twigs for display. I'd never have thought of painting twigs, but I also happen to have a red twig dogwood with gorgeous color right now and it needs trimming. I may give the red twigs a try. :)

Party, your red and white porch looks wonderful. I love that. And a red twig dogwood....would be the perfect addition. Twigs look so neat to decorate with, and seem to be more and more popular. Painted white, or red, or gold, or whatever. With or without little lights, etc.
I wish I had some "free" ones. LOL. My trees just aren't the twiggy kind. But I have a friend who brought some manzanita down from northern AZ (Flagstaff) and said I could see if there's a piece I want. Yay.

Jeanne, those gift tags are super special. I'd be taking them right off and adding to my tree asap. What a good job Larry does on his woodworking. So talented.

Sameboat, that kind of cleaning is totally exhausting and then to follow with decorating....! Yes, you do need Merry Maids to help. My grown daughter had a good idea some years ago, starting Jan. 1, they toss ALL their change in a huge jar and don't touch it till Dec. It is so surprising how that adds up. Usually several hundred dollars. And funny, but you don't really miss the change at the time. They use it for Xmas presents but you could save for M.M. next Christmias to help you. :o)

I still have quite a bit to do. I hate being so slow these days, but no choice. But there's always tomorrow I guess.
hugs, Karen

Dogwood branches ...perfect, party!!! Go for it!

thanks gals commenting on the burlap tags...I made them just for decor ...have a string & hook on the walnut ornaments so they can just take them off & hang the ornie. ;-)

I'm slow, too, PM ... goes w/the territory, I guess. Jeanne S. ... I always figure, 'slow but sure' ...just like the tortoise, uh!