Do you have a tree/decorations etc if you will be spending Christmas away from home?

[TheBiggestDinosaur]

We will be spending Christmas this year with DH family, who live overseas.

We'll be away for 10 days.

DH thinks we shouldn't get a tree or put any decorations up, or have advent calendars, because we won't be here for them properly, and we can enjoy decorating his family's tree when we arrive, and it's better to have the build up to Christmas in the place you are actually spending it.

I sort of agree with him, especially with the tree, as they are expensive and it would be sad to come home to a brown, bald tree, but on the other hand, it seems a bit miserable.

So I'm planning to just put some fairy lights up, and still get advent calendars - but we'll miss the last few days. DH says it's silly to have an advent calendar and not get right to the end. I suppose I could get a small one and squeeze it into the hand luggage.

What do other people do?

[Ragwort]

We often go overseas for Christmas, and take the advent calender with us - it doesn't take much space (but we only have one child ).

We usually have a tree as well a cheap fake one so it doesn't go brown but we don't have a tree or 'traditional' decorations at our overseas destination - so it's a bit different for you if you will be helping another family decorate their tree etc.

[BabCNesbitt]

We've been overseas for Xmas the last couple of years, but still decorated. My birthday's in early December and my parents always used to have the decorations up in time for that, so it would feel wrong not to have decorations up for most of the month, no matter where we were going to be!

[Artandco]

We decorate. Usually leave around 20th dec so aim to put decorations up first weekend of December

[Alibabaandthe40nappies]

We still decorate even though we're going to be away. We are normally home a day or two after Boxing Day and its lovely to have the tree etc up for those days before new year when we're all at home, kids are playing with their new stuff.

And yes I take the advent calendars with us!

[TheBiggestDinosaur]

Everyone agrees with me! I should show this thread to DH .

We usually have a wooden advent calendar with drawers that I put a chocolate in each day, but maybe I will buy a cardboard one so we can take it with us.

[RedToothBrush]

Bah Humbug. Christmas lasts a whole six weeks in this house.

[MrsBungle]

We often go away for around 10 days. We still put our tree and decs up. They're up a good 2-3 weeks before we leave.

[StrangeGlue]

If you get/make a fabric reusable advent calendar you can fill the last few days with treats from the country you're visiting and it'll fold up small in your bag. (Your mil might be interested in prepping for this?)

I might be tempted to get a small fake tree or do something arty with corkscrew hazel branches to hang decs off rather than go the whole hog. I'd still do other decorating (though I don't have a lot just done stuff for sideboards/mantel in living room).

And you'll still have cards to put out so it won't be totally empty anyway.

[girlywhirly]

If I was going away for that long I wouldn't have a real tree.

[BiddyPop]

Hen we are Way over Christmas it's for a week usually so we put up the fake tree at home. We tend to put up the tree around 15th December, whatever weekend day is nearest that, so it's a long time for no decorations I think.

We don't bring the big fabric advent calendar with pockets, but I do bring the cardboard one with just pictures wit us.

If your dh would prefer no tree, you could still put out wreath, paper chains, and cards without it seeming fully decorated. And a crib, you have to have a crib. But a small one.

[BiddyPop]

I bet the DCs wkd still enjoy decorating a tree in dGrandma's house even if way have one up at home already!!

[TheBiggestDinosaur]

Yes you're all right.

For some reason I have a bit of an irrational dislike for artificial trees. But I think I will try and get a very small, cheap fake one, and put up some fairy lights, just to make the house look a bit more seasonal (especially for when we come back home again). We do have a crib as well. It will be fun, rather than futile, doing it all twice!

And I will speak to SIL about her trying to get 4 little local treats or chocolates there as the end of the advent calendar - I suppose she could put them in little envelopes or something, and write the numbers on.

[ImNotReallyHere]

I always put a real tree up even though we are away. I just do it a bit earlier and it usually is still alive when we get back. (Saying that DH never keeps the heating on)


Kids love decorating a tree and it wouldn't be christmas for me without one. We sometimes take advent calendars with us - or sometimes I let them open to last 5 before we go.

[EhricLovesTheBhrothers]

Of course! We don't go away until the 23rd though so we have plenty of enjoyment from the decorations. DS was trying to get me to agree to put up decs yesterday but I said not until the advent calendar gets opened! No advent calendar at all for your DCs? Is your husband actually Scrooge?

[PedantMarina]

OP, YABU - a dislike for artificial trees is not irrational. It's perfectly correct and reasonable. >smug <

And that's why I never go away for Yule season if I can possibly help it.

Previous suggestions sound good: portable advent calendar, some deccies up in the normal residence.

[poolomoomon]

We're going away next Christmas and have said we'll lightly decorate the fireplace but no tree. We always buy a real tree, don't fancy coming home to 1000000 needles on the floor from an unwatered tree. We do have a small tree we call the 'holiday tree' that gets decorated every Easter, Halloween and Christmas so will probably just decorate that a bit instead and I'm hoping to take it with us for the hotel room. We also have a wooden advent calendar, will still do that and stop the chocolates from the day we go away.

[TheBiggestDinosaur]

Ha ha ha at "is your husband actually Scrooge?"