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Christmas

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Original poster

How do you prepare your house for the decorations?

29 replies

StripedOss · 01/12/2014 10:05

We've a small house, very poky, and rather cluttered.

i'm a christmas hog, i love it, but i'm always limited for space for displaying things.

How do you prepare your house? do you tidy, declutter, store stuff for christmas season?

And also, how do you decorate the house? Just a tree, or do you do other stuff?

OP posts:

HolgerDanske · 01/12/2014 11:07

Yep, a good tidy-up! This year I'm doing a huge clear out of my Christmas things from previous years, I don't need it all.

I have decorations on the wall, on my side table, on the sideboard, on my bookcase, draped on the windows, on the balustrade, and on my kitchen window and sill.

(Plus the tree, of course)

Sootgremlin · 01/12/2014 11:20

We've had a de clutter, and boxed up a lot of lesser played with toys and put in the garage. A lot has gone in the garage, I'm dreading looking in there after Christmas.

We moved the toy boxes that live in the sitting room upstairs to make room for the tree, and had a good clean. We have a fireplace for the first time this year, so have put white lights round it, tinsel across the top with small decorative stockings hanging down, poinsettias at each end, white tea light lanterns and red tea light holders, and a red spicy Christmas candle in the middle to light on Christmas Eve. We've put some Christmas soft toys at the base (we never use the fire during the day as children are small)

It looks quite understated, but lovely. The lights really make it.

We've also got some foil garlands and paper hanging ball type things on the ceiling, a wooden advent calendar up, stickers in the windows and tinsel about here and there too. I dare say there will be more lights up somewhere at some point if I know DH.

We'll probably add paper chains and other things as dc make them.

Thanks for asking this, I'm so excited about it

Oldraver · 01/12/2014 12:07

A really good tidy up, put some things away

StuntCodPiece · 01/12/2014 12:41

We are at the tail end of building and decorating so the house is awful atm - dusty, boxes of crap everywhere from currently out-of-action rooms, dust everywhere, dust, some dust and dust too. And did I mention the dust? So I am busting a gut to get sorted before xmas when mn doesn't get in the way and this normally involves putting away ormaments etc and a good clean. This year it will involve dust removal on an industrial scale

Is it too early for ?

PogoBob · 01/12/2014 14:02

We've ended up re-arranging the sitting room totally to fit the Christmas tree in the bigger alcove (chimney breast is not central!). Last year we had a slim tree which fitted in the smaller alcove but DH really wanted the 'fat' tree this year hence the re-arranging.

Not yet figured out where everything else is going but that's more to do with an almost 2yo who is still learning not to grab everything so rather limited in terms of the surfaces we can decorate!

CiderwithBuda · 01/12/2014 14:09

I try to do a good declutter and a good clean before even attempting to get the xmas stuff out.

I use the boxes from the xmas decorations to store all the ornaments, pictures etc that are being put away.

I have a plan for this week to get sorted but it's gone to pot already!

TheGonnagle · 01/12/2014 14:14

November we redecorated the front room, landing, hall and stairs (not every year, I hasten to add!).
This week is epic clean week. (steam clean kitchen and bathroom, proper clean all round.
Declutter, most non festive ornaments etc go in boxes in the roof.
Decorate!

catwithflowers · 01/12/2014 14:21

Stuntcod, I feel your pain! We are in the midst of a complete overhaul including rewiring, new central heating, new bathroom and are decorating each room as it's finished. Cans of pain, tools, stuff for the skip, and tradesmen in and out constantly. The dust is unbelievable. I'm desperate to have it clean and beautiful for Christmas

catwithflowers · 01/12/2014 14:23

Cans of pain? Cans of paint!!!!

StuntCodPiece · 01/12/2014 15:57

Cans of pain is about right cat. We are having carpets fitted in 2 weeks so need to be decorated and ready for then. Then it'll be Operation Christmas ??

IssyStark · 01/12/2014 16:29

We decluttered and put away stuff all weekend just gone. Still got loads to do as we were concentrating on upsatirs as the dc wanted their tree up in their bedroom yesterday. We won't be decorating the rest fo the house for a couple of weeks so we have a bit more time for decluttering.

We do tend to move furniture around and put stuff in the loft is necessary. Sometimes I run out of time and end up putting stuff in a big bag for sorting later. It often then isn't sorted until the summer.

I really like having all of the laundry/cleaning etc all out of the way before Christmas Eve. I do not want to even have to think about laundry until the 27th. That said, this year we will be in the midst of potty traing ds2 so the machine might be on anyway!

CiderwithBuda · 01/12/2014 17:49

I'm th same about laundry. Like not to have to do any over xmas.

I took two bags to the charity shop this afternoon.

Didn't get the hall cupboards cleared though which was my plan.

Oh well. Tomorrow is another day!

ThinkIveBeenHacked · 01/12/2014 17:54

We clear out the same alcove in the lounge. It usually houses the small dining table, so thats moved up against another wall. This year we have stood.our tree on a large hamper which makes it look much nicer (high ceilings so it fills the wall better).

We hang stockings from the tv on the wall as its the chimney breast wall so thats where they should be.

No other decs, however we have two small dcs so once they get to nearer 8/9 ill get some christmas candles etc.

Original poster

StripedOss · 01/12/2014 17:55

i managed to get the top of my sideboard de-cluttered today, it always gets lights draped around it, so it needed to be tidied.

Got to do the same with the shelves and TV unit.. and this year i've bought a candelabra thing to go in the upstairs window and some window stickers for downstairs so it looks a little christmassy from outside for a change!

OP posts:

ItsBeginingToLookAlotLikeChris · 01/12/2014 18:01

started the big clean last night.

Moved sofas, intensive tidy up....long way to go yet though....the Big Dust is also taking place.....
I have decs on nearly every surface, everywhere you look there will be something I like the grotto effect

BiddyPop · 01/12/2014 19:04

I have done quite a bit of decluttering and deep cleaning since late August. (Y'know, things like cleaning the washing machine and tumble dryer filters, washing the dishwasher with the bottle of stuff, cleaning chimneys, washing windows, wiping down air vents, checking smoke alarms, etc - all those "useful, must get around to" jobs). Probably sent about 20 bags to charity shop, 5/6 of DC clothes that no longer fit to various cousins, at least another 20 to recycling/rubbish, and a few down to the storage unit as they are not loved here anymore but I am not yet ready to get rid of them.

I've also tried to get a thorough actual clean of each room in the house, but not managed that in all rooms.

I wanted to declutter the decorative items in the sitting room, and the overstuffed bookshelves. Maybe in January.....

But I can now see all of the dining table (and the small pile of newspapers/magazines will shift in 2 seconds, sewing machine goes back upstairs next weekend, so will be completely clear then again). The junk pile on the drawer beside the dining table is no longer threatening to fall and take out all small DCs in the vicinity - only about 6" high and stuff I need.

I do need to tackle my dressing table. But DH is able to use the desk in the study. And I have space in the guest room again too - either to organize things for a day or 2, or to actually have guests again (we have no au pair for the first time in a long time).

clam · 01/12/2014 19:21

I dust anywhere that cards are going. Am sure as hell not going to dust round them for three weeks. not that I dust that often anyway

TwoNoisyBoys · 01/12/2014 19:35

Cat, cans of pain sums it up perfectly! I'm decorating the boys bedroom at the moment, carpet coming Friday, so they're camping out in the living room this week. The house is a tip, stuff everywhere.....ooh, and I'm hosting my mothers 70th birthday party Wednesday evening! Stressed? Moi?!!! Aaaargh!!!!!!

TwoNoisyBoys · 01/12/2014 19:35

(And all this before I can even think about the big pre Christmas clean up/declutter!)

ClawHandsIfYouBelieveInFreaks · 01/12/2014 19:36

I've begun a massive tidy up and removed photos and some ornaments. I don't have a lot anyway but they go away as I am also a Christmas Hog. I LOVE my Christmas crap!

catwithflowers · 01/12/2014 19:50

Noisyboys but it will be lovely when it's all finished mantra to self

Original poster

StripedOss · 01/12/2014 19:50

im wondering whether to go the whole crapola hog this year and hang paper chains from the wood ceiling beams again, lol!

OP posts:

MrsLindor · 01/12/2014 21:08

I usually have a big clean up before the decorations go up.

PlantsAndFlowers · 01/12/2014 21:50

I move a bookshelf so it doesn't look like the tree is squashing it.

Paper chains, cards and a couple of christmas ornaments.

Always but a Christmassy (and posh) bouquet of flowers.

Doing it all next Saturday, can't wait!

HolgerDanske · 01/12/2014 22:04

I have to move the TV console over a bit, and the sideboard over a bit the other way, in order to fit the tree.

This year I'm having a little real one in a pot (hopefully)

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