Christmas Clutter

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Started 1 year ago by EraserGirl
Latest reply from pkilmain
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EraserGirl
Member

there was a comment in another thread which inspires me to start this one.
Forgive me if there is something deeper regarding this topic. I haven't mastered the searching for threads by topic.

It was a pain going through my mothers Christmas boxes, there were a lot, layer upon layer. A long time ago I cut back my own holiday nonsense to just what would fit under the bed.

just some ideas:

DOUBLE DUTY DECORATIONS: I used to acquire ornaments when i would travel, even things that weren't 'actually' ornaments. and would trot these out at for tree decorating. So holiday decorating is festival of memories.

BUY TOUGHER STUFF: I have away all my 'breakable' ornaments. breakable ones need special packing material and boxes.

DIDO (Decorations in, Decorations out): If I buy something new, i retire something else about the same size.

PICK A THEME: For overall decorating i chose a 'style' and stuck to it until changed and then got rid of all the previous decos. This certainly keeps one from going mad to buy new decorations every year. You are restricting yourself to JUST what fits with your theme. For instance once I started celebrating just the solstice, I would only purchase NICE (and Cheap) snowflakes or stars and suns etc.. thus i didn't have to keep all the snowmen and elves from the time i was stuck in the 50s christmas (don't ask)

PASS IT ON: NICE ornaments I regift to my relatives who would appreciate them better than i would.

GET RID OF THE TREE: Once I didn't have a house (and storage for a tree etc) but still wanted to decorate, I would just wrap evergreen garland around the mantle piece or the stairway and then hang ornaments from it. I even hung ornaments from all the window sashes, ceiling lights and made mobiles.

RECYCLE: Donate or recycle the incoming cards immediately. don't even pack them. don't even store them unless you really truly ARE going to cut them up and make that collage you are always talking about.

Any other ideas?

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

This past Christmas we weeded out our ornaments. The generic balls went out. We kept only those things that were meaningful to us - which means we have a few delicate glass ornaments that were my husband's grandmother's. This year my plan is rid the box of the sort of house decorations that haven't been put out for several years.

As for cards, we keep all in the incoming ones until we take down the tree. Then we sit down and go through them. We save very special ones (usually with photos, or handmade) and they go in a box we keep with the decorations and look at them each Christmas season. The rest either get donated to the senior center (they make place mats with collages of the cards) or thrown away.

Posted 1 year ago #
charmed2482
Member

I got rid of ALL my Christmas decorations a few years ago. i haven't used any of it since I was with one of my ex Bf's about 8 years ago. I gave that tree and all the decorations still on it to someone else my mom knew who didn't have anything and she had kids so my mom wanted to help her make Christmas better for her kids. My current Bf and I have no desire to store and use Christmas decorations and when I saw some other single people didn't bother with them I didn't feel bad about not using them(when I was single) and since me and my bf are both ok with no having them its a huge stress relief. I didn't even enjoy decorating at my last job with the previous person in my position did every year before so everyone expected me to do it too. and since money is tight now that I am going back to school and only working part time, I gave my self permission to only shop for my BF and my grandmother. I might get my father something this year also since he lives in the same state as me again, but he lives pretty minimalist, so I'm never sure what to get it b/c i don't want to fill his apartment with clutter he doesn't really want. I try to give him pictures b/c he doesn't have many and i figure he would like pictures of his kids.

Posted 1 year ago #
nws2002
Member

I enjoy decorating for Christmas, but I don't keep a ton of decorations around either.

One tub for both ornaments and other decor, and the tree has another dedicated tub. The tubs are red and green so they are easy to spot and remember what is in each one. I also have an orange and black tub with Halloween items, and they all stack neatly.

When I was a child we each picked out a new ornament each year. When we moved to our own homes my mother gave us a box with our ornaments in it. Great way to start, but I did weed through them and get rid of about half. Other than those I buy new ones each year and donate the rest. Without allowing myself to buy a specific something I know I would go overboard and fill up the house.

I stand the cards I receive up on the bookcase in front of my books and toss them all when I take down the rest of the decorations.

What @charmed2482 said makes sense though. No one should feel pressured to keep this stuff around if they don't want to.

Posted 1 year ago #
Jacquie
Member

@ charmed2482 "I might get my father something this year also since he lives in the same state as me again, but he lives pretty minimalist"

Then don't buy him a 'thing', get him a treat. From a favourite food to something to do, depending on your budget. A restaurant voucher or membership to a society he'd be interested in would be minimum shipping cost too.

But if he is now in the same state, would that mean he could be close enough to visit? Him to you or you to him, or meet up half way? Some time together would be a gift for both of you perhaps?

Posted 1 year ago #
klutzgrrl
Member

Good thread, Erasergirl! Wow we have a truckload of Christmas crapola. We do have a very good quality plastic tree (being summer here, real ones don't last long and look sad) but some seriously ugly ornaments. Some are special - there are some things chosen by the kids and things we bought when we were courting.

I personally HATE Christmas themed crockery - it's all hideous - and someone keeps giving it to me.

Trying hard to avoid cluttery gifts this year - consumables are the go!

BTW love pictures of family but I don't have many on display - I just don't need to see pictures all the time.

Posted 1 year ago #
EraserGirl
Member

indeed...don't give DECORATIVE ITEMS AS GIFTS
almost all of the folks on this bored know this rule.

as this is the 1st junk to hit the yard sale
and if the receiver is too polite to dispose of it and insists on displaying it
as most of our parents generation are...then it will be up to our generation to dump the stuff when they are gone.

Posted 1 year ago #
lazycow
Member

I went through out decorations a couple of months ago and consolidated them all into one tub which lives under the house. I got rid of around 3 bags of stuff!

We have a gorgeous Swedish Christmas fair in Melbourne, and though I'm not Swedish I love it. The past few years I've bought both the children a beautiful Swedish Christmas ornament as part of their Christmas present. I'm going to take on board the suggestion of getting rid of *all* the generic decorations (mainly cheap Target baubles) and just have beautiful things on our (plastic) tree.

NB I simply do *not* understand it when people buy Christmas-themed mugs as presents. Especially for teachers. How many ugly mugs does a person need?!

Posted 1 year ago #
pkilmain
Member

"How many ugly mugs does a person need?!"

I went to a women's retreat sponsored by my church this spring, and we were supposed to bring a mug to exchange. Took the opportunity to get rid of one, but conveniently forgot to take one in exchange. :)

Posted 1 year ago #
bandicoot
Member

i am the complete christmas unclutterer.
we work like maniacs leading up to christmas and always have done....it is the busiest quarter by far.
the last thing i want is more work in the shape of decorating/cooking/entertaining/shopping.

so.
we decided long ago that we do not exchange christmas gifts. we all have pretty much everything we need.

we don't decorate. we aren't religious at all and the whole thing is a pagan festival dressed up as a christian event. it is completely meaningless to me.

we sometimes throw a big lunch party on christmas day for friends/family who may be at a loose end.
but i absolutely refuse to buy any christmas themed junk like crackers etc etc.
we use our regular decent stuff and we cook regular decent food and we open the good champagne and that is it.

i am not a horrible grinch or scrooge....i just will not be sucked into the crass commercialism of christmas.

Posted 1 year ago #
Sky
Member

I decluttered my Christmas decorations last year down to a 3' tree that stays decorated and lives in my hall closet along with a small box of nativities and a few other decorations. I got rid of all the garlands, candle holders and misc. stuff. I kept the ornaments my sons made long ago and the ones with meaning and gave the rest away. Also gave my Christmas china to my son and his family.

We only give gifts to our grandchildren and nieces and nephews, 7 total. All the adults have plenty so we save ourselves the grief of shopping.

So, this year, I plan to limit my activities and have a simple celebration and remember what Christmas is all about....and it ain't all the glitz and glitter!

Posted 1 year ago #
SunshineR
Member

ooohhh...a Christmas mug exchange...or abandonment....a unique way to regift those ugly items that multiply like rabbits or mice!

Posted 1 year ago #
foilhead1
Member

I think it would be best to sort through your christmas or any holiday stuff 'way before' the holiday! That way you can be objective and not think, 'oh, I'll sit that out this year, THEN get rid of it'. I should do mine while it is really not, then I definitely won't get sentimental.

Posted 1 year ago #
Ann
Member

This is a real issue with me. But in a non-minimalist way.

We have collections. We have a Lenox Christmas plate from every year we have been married. We have a Baccarat Crystal ornament from each year, too. We also collect Steinback Nutcrackers...those big ones (I think we have about 50).

Makes for a lot of stuff.

What I have done...is eliminated all the other things we used to put up...candles, wreaths, Santas, etc. etc...and we just decorate with the things that we collect.

My only problem is: I still have the old stuff. Haven't pulled any of it out in 10 years. THAT is my project for January! Before the collections go away, the old stuff will be tossed, recycled, gifted or donated. I would do it sooner, but the old stuff is packed away behind the 50 nutcracker boxes!!! hahaha

Posted 1 year ago #
charmed2482
Member

@Jacquie-

That's a good idea, I didn't even think of that, I could get him a restaurant gift card, I don't think he eats out much b/c he doesn't have a lot of money and it gets expensive. I would like to see him but I can't usually get time off at Dhristmas, I work for Target and they don't let people have time off for Christmas or Thanksgiving. i don't know if he would come here, or try to come half way, he always says he is going to and then never does.

@bandicoot-

"we decided long ago that we do not exchange christmas gifts. we all have pretty much everything we need."

I wish I could get my boyfriend to agree to this, I have wanted to just skip out totally on Christmas for a long time, but I always end up in a relationship and then feel like I can't do it.

"we don't decorate. we aren't religious at all and the whole thing is a pagan festival dressed up as a christian event. it is completely meaningless to me."

totally agree, I feel the same way

"but i absolutely refuse to buy any christmas themed junk like crackers etc etc.
we use our regular decent stuff and we cook regular decent food and we open the good champagne and that is it."

My boyfriend insists on wanting a traditional holiday dinner(whatever that is)but doesn't want to actually cook one. It sucks eating out on holidays b/c its crowded. Same thing for thanksgiving. I don't care, I'm happy eating just about anything, I don't think the food should be special for a holiday I don't care about. I keep trying to talk him into staying home and just cooking whatever. Maybe it will happen this year.

"i am not a horrible grinch or scrooge....i just will not be sucked into the crass commercialism of christmas."

Same here

Posted 1 year ago #
klutzgrrl
Member

People love that fantasy of the holiday dinner - they remember it from their childhood - the family and friends around the table, the magnificent feast. Lovely - unless you're the one expected to cook and serve it every year.

I'm an atheist. Thinking of getting a 'holidays around the year' type multicultural book for ideas on other holiday traditions to incorporate so there's a sense of fun and occasion, but without the usual Christmas stuff.

Posted 1 year ago #
charmed2482
Member

I wouldn't mind creating our own traditions if they didn't include spending money on presents we don't really need and a huge fuss over food.

Posted 1 year ago #
lucy1965
Member

*sits with klutzgrrl on the "Oh, yeah? YOU try cooking it and cleaning up after" bench*

When our son was small, we made a moderately big fuss over Christmas; now that he's 22 and splits the time between our house, his partner's parents and his paternal grandmother's, we have a big evergreen wreath above the fireplace, garlands and a few small gifts wrapped with furoshiki. And we have curry for supper and watch the "Mythbusters" marathon. *grin*

Posted 1 year ago #
irishbell
Member

I have gotten christmas themed "stuff" as presents for every b-day and christmas from my folks,since I moved out- 33 years ago. I have rarely ever used or displayed the stuff, as I am very particular in my decorating and will use/display mainly what I have purchased. I would have thought my Mom would have noticed in all these years. I have gently asked for fewer presents possibly from a list I give her, but no dice, not happening! so, every year, christmas night when we're going thru everything, I fill a box with stuff I know I won't ever use and give it away over the next few days. I'm quality over quantity all the way.
I'm thinking that when the time comes to clean out my folks stuff, I probably won't even look at most of the stuff, except for the very few things I'd like to have, bargain with my sibs, and they can have the majority of it. How many Santas can you line up on your stairwell anyway? My Mom has easily 40! That's not including all the christmas pillows lined up on the sofas so you can't even sit down comfortably! aye aye aye! it will literally be a nightmare.
It's hard when you want to downplay christmas and your SO wants all the rituals and trimmings. I think you need to be careful not to alienate his/her family while starting/maintaining your own beliefs and desires. Being in a relationship is all about co-operating and balancing, and holidays are a tricky time of year. My extended family suffered some not yet forgotten hard feelings from others trying to change some of the rituals a few years back!
By the way, I am now down to 2 rubbermaid type tubs of christmas decor and one small flat box of glass balls. yay!!! every year for the past 10 years I have weeded thru and gotten rid of lots!

Posted 1 year ago #
lottielot
Member

Christmas clutter we have under control. We have one small box of decorations and a smallish fake tree, other than that we make paper decorations (origami stars, snowman chains etc) every year and then chuck them out afterwards, that way you get to make them again! I have a willow frame I found somewhere and I make my own wreath if I can be bothered, again it's stuff from the garden so doesn't last. For our family, Christmas is about ritual and that means dragging the same old bits of tinsel from the loft and sticking it haphazardly on the tree, then putting it back up again when the cat climbs up the tree. He's nearly 15 though, you'd think he'd have grown out of it by now!
What gets me down is the sheer amount of TAT the inlaws give my kids. Really annoying. I try hard not to let them open/use most stuff, that way I can recycle it as presents for other people, or at least stick it in the charity bin unmangled. I also recycle presents given to me, the rubbish they give me is unbelievable (chocolate when I don't eat it, smelly stuff when I'm allergic to perfumes, etc). I try hard to buy things which I think the in-laws will like, but last year was so fed up with the rubbish they gave me and dh that I gave up and told dh to do the shopping himself. Still, my MIL and I aren't talking right now, if I play my cards right maybe we won't make up till January :)

Posted 1 year ago #

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