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We have no children and no family in the area that visits any longer. I always decorated for all the holidays but it seems silly now. Do you still decorate?
I am a holiday and Christmas buff, so YES !! I have the Autumn decorations and my little Fall friends out for display each time this year. I do not decorate for Holloween, but I don't consider that to be an actually holiday. I always have a beautiful tree each year and my family does still get together quite often during the holidays and I also like to entertain during the Fall. So YES on all sorts of decorating!
Last year was the first year in my adult life that I did not put up a tree. My mother died in mid November and with the funeral and clearing out her house, things just got too hectic. I did not miss it - well maybe just a little, but not enough to want to put one up this year. I think I will do table decorations and maybe decorate the mantel. If that gets to be to much for me in a couple of years, I'll just downsize to a wreath on the front door.
I'm not seeing the correlation between decorating and retirement. It's more likely to be a question of whether or not you have family gatherings celebrating the holidays at your house and/or whether or not anyone visits your home during the holiday season and/or whether or not anyone living there (even if it's just you) enjoys the decorations. But what's whether or not you're still working have to do with it?
You should look at getting battery powered string or fairy lights. They are so delightful. They're pretty cheap on the internet.
I took your suggestion and put multiple strings of multi-colored LARGE vintage size (all C7, C9 is the largest) Christmas lights all over the porch railings and they are magnificent against the winter scene and so fun.....!!
as there are EIGHT different settings to choose from in patterned blinking or fluttering time sequences.
And medium-size green jeweled Christmas lights on the front door.
You were so right.....very delightful!!
Never put up lights before - I somehow didn't know that there are outdoor lights that are battery-powered before now.
We have no children and no family in the area that visits any longer. I always decorated for all the holidays but it seems silly now. Do you still decorate?
This is just a sad thread as we all seem to remember memories that were filled with decorations, trees, food, family and fun. Just because one gets older, are we supposed to forget all this and just sit in a chair during the Holidays? Kind of seems to go against what they are all about.....family, friends, birth of Christ (depending upon your beliefs). I loved it when my kids were small and I loved it when they brought their kids "home" for Christmas. Now these "kids" are adults too, but somehow they still want to go to "Gramma's" and I am so happy to have them. An expensive time of year, for sure, but if you cannot be generous with your family, then who?
This is just a sad thread as we all seem to remember memories that were filled with decorations, trees, food, family and fun. Just because one gets older, are we supposed to forget all this and just sit in a chair during the Holidays? Kind of seems to go against what they are all about.....family, friends, birth of Christ (depending upon your beliefs). I loved it when my kids were small and I loved it when they brought their kids "home" for Christmas. Now these "kids" are adults too, but somehow they still want to go to "Gramma's" and I am so happy to have them. An expensive time of year, for sure, but if you cannot be generous with your family, then who?
I think it's probably more fun for people who still have children in their lives. I loved doing Christmas things when my daughter was small, and even when she came home from college, she loved seeing the house decorated for Christmas. My niece would be with us on Christmas, too, most years. The point is that I see my friends who have grandkids/children in their lives are much more enthusiastic about Christmas, and naturally so, just as you are.
I can't speak for anyone else, but now that there are no children around to watch getting excited about Christmas and I don't exchange gifts with anyone (well, wait, yesterday I told my daughter to buy the boots she wanted and I will reimburse her as a Christmas gift, since we won't see each other) and I'm basically just a caregiver for my S.O., the enthusiasm has waned. Not completely--we did run a string of lights around the family room, where the bf's hospital bed is, and I put up a couple of other decorations. And I will be making dinner for the bf and his sons. Don't get me wrong, it's not all doom and gloom, despite the specter of illness and death we live with. I just do not anticipate any time in the future where Christmas will ever be the holiday it once was, and that's OK.
I didn't even hang my fake wreath on the nail that's already there outside. Now, THAT'S Christmas spirit for you!
Last edited by otterhere; 12-23-2022 at 10:29 AM..
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