Less, much less. I can't seem to get in the spirit this year and I'm sure our warm temps and no snow is part of it. I sure couldn't live in a warm climate before Christmas and ever get ready in time.

I normally do lots of holiday lights outside (and nothing else -- no tree -- I'm a single person living by herself, so if it doesn't make me happy, I don't bother!). Mom refused to do lights when I was a kid, saying she did one year before I was born and some boys tore them down and she'd never do that again. So I'm making up for past deprivation. I always liked holiday lights. I put up fewer this year than last. Mostly this is because work is very busy this year -- last year it wasn't so hectic. Next year won't be so hectic, and I will probably do more again then.

Certainly can't blame the weather, which has been very nice here in TX!

Jean Marie

Definitely less. I just don't have the time or energy to put out all my knicknacks. I have lots of ceramic Santas I painted. They will stay in the closet this year. My tree is up, but no ornaments . I"ll do that today. Signed Jannie the Grinch.

all my decorations are still in the "away" bin, from our decluttering-to-put-the-place-on-the-market.

Tree will go up this week, and will probably come down before New Year's bcs it'll be too dry (I *like* to leave it up until Jan. 6).

We've decorated less this year, only because we're disorganized!

DH has been working on "home improvements" that involve destruction in different rooms of the house. I kept waiting for him to "finish". There is no "finish" in my future. I finally put up the tree Sunday, sawdust and all.

Less everything this year- fewer gifts bought, less cooking high calorie things like cookies, less decorating, less over-scheduling of events, less over spending, far fewer trips to crowded malls...lots more enjoyment of the season! I think Christmas has becone so over-hyped that a backlash is setting in. Well, with me anyway.

I haven't noticed any difference, but people here put up lights around mid-October when we really start losing daylight. The really Christmas-y ones come down or get turned off after New Years, but the white or colored ones remain lit until March when the daylight is back.

As far as inside, I've actually decorated more this year. I bought a new tablecloth and it was 18" too long. I cut off one end and redid the hem and then made two pillow covers with the fabric for the pillows on my loveseat. We have a loveseat in the dining area.

We have a traditional staircase and railing, which lends it'selt to greenery and ribbons. My 12 yo strung lights through it also. I'm not crazy about sitting here with the lights twinkling, but they like it. Since our staircase is directly in front of our main front window, the lights show outside.

The dresser in our transition area has been cleared off and my three nativity sets are there. In the living room, we put up the tree, which will end up pretty dry by New Years day. We put it in front of the window so it can be seen. I made a mantel scarf with gold tassels and since I had the electrician and carpenter build it so it has wiring, I plug in white lights and greenery and put up candles and tree balls. My coffee table is round, so it got a smaller tablecloth.

I have one last quilted wallhanging to put up as soon as I can locate a push pin.

I think it really helped that all of my decorations have been purged and organized. My four red lidded bins were easy to grab out of storage. They only had items I really wanted to use. There is additional room in them for the new items like the tablecloth and mantel cover.

We've never put up lights outside. It's just too much to crawl around a couple of stories to string them, and I don't have any other decorations except a very large wreath. I'm a bit scared to put it up in this house because we have the original alum. siding in really good condition and the idea of popping a hole in it doesn't appeal to me.

Gloria

Your place sounds festive Gloria. I would bet with a name like Quiltglo you created the quilted wallhanging.
Jannie and Tally maybe I will put the tree up this weekend altho Christmas is practically the next day. When I was a kid we used to go out Christmas Eve and get a tree because you could get a nice one for not too much then so maybe its not too late
Scarlett I was thinking more people felt the way that you do, sounds like it around here. But maybe there is a recession coming and the drop in spending is an economic trend.
drjnx & briansdawe have been swamped with work too, and find it hard to get in the mood. It is cold here(for California)
so we are all wearing sweaters.
But it doesn't feel very Christmassy around here. we decorated our office less than usual, and that was true of nearby offices.
Gloria is up in Alaska--at least she has some chance of seeing Santa and the reindeers.

Most people around here have about the same amount of outside lights as usual. We have no decorations up. We hopes to be able to move in December, now it looks like early January. We will be celebrating Christmas twice with people who have trees and decorationa, so I don't feel deprived.

s soon as I can locate a push pin.

Gloria, it's a good thing you hang out here; I can tell you need it! Next project for you: organizing the office supplies, LOL!!!

(kidding, kidding!)

Found the push pins! The muchkin factor at work, not that any of us suffer from that around here. My 12 yo took the extra strings of lights and put them around his room (with my push pins.) He has a navy blue ceiling and a light fixture which is a rotating solar system. With the lights on and the planets going arounds, the little twinkly lights looked really neat. Went well with the yellow glow coming in his windows. Our sky glows kind of a gold yellow when it's going to snow.

Anyone here in Colorado? Looks like Rudolph better get his nose recharged to make it through all of this snow. It's coming down really nice here today. And I'm remembering Julie's recommendations to stock up so we don't have to schlep through a slushy parking lot. Yep, that's me who will be schelping this afternoon.

Gloria

I did not put up any decorations this year. We are in the process of moving - all of our things are now in one state and we are in another.

I took a bag of Christmas decorations to the Salvation Army yesterday. There's nothing wrong with them except I took them out of the box and realized I really didn't LOVE them, I just always put them out. I think it started when the boys were little--I put them out because I didn't care if they got broken. LOL

P.S. I haven't stocked up for winter yet either. I could be schlepping out in the parking lot soon, too!

Wow, as a consequence of not putting up a lot of decorations I don't have to set aside New Year's day to take down the tree and wrap up all the decor to store for next year. In fact I went through all the wrapping paper, etc. and threw most of it out instead of saving it for next year. Maybe Scrooge was on to something.
Julie--I agree; I realize I have been putting up little bric a brac that I got from students the first year I taught school (Abe Lincoln was one of my students) and it needed to go to the Salvation Army, along with other clutter.
Its a whole new year coming. I did stock up on champagne for New Years Eve, --it was worth schlepping for!