I wrote a post about how Christmas seems to start earlier and earlier every year, and the comment section turned into a battle of the sexes. A lot of the women seemed to think that their husbands were less than helpful when it comes to decorating for the holidays.
Believe it or not, a lot of the problem is NOT genetics, it's logistics! The reason men hate assisting with decking the halls is the endless trips to attics and basements, sorting through the boxes, unpacking the decorations, carrying them where they need to be, and lugging the replaced year-around items back to the aforementioned storage areas.
After packing up one Christmas, my wife offered a brilliant solution. Why not have the decorations right where you want them, but out of sight? The key was to change a few pieces of furniture and incorporate them into the décor of our home.
So we use a cedar chest as a living room coffee table, a blanket chest in the foyer, one drawer in the kitchen, and another chest in the guest bedroom upstairs. Packed inside, is ALL of our Christmas decorations, and we have a lot. But if you remove most of the packaging, you can fit a ton of decorations in very little cubic space.
The point is, the decorations are right at hand, our ornaments are 3 feet from where the tree will be, and all I have to do is open the chest and decorate! And the items we replace with Christmas paraphernalia go right into the chests until after the holidays.
No more stairs, no more heavy packing, no more sorting through box after box of who knows what!
We have cut the transition time in half, and it saves the spousal tensions that crop up every year. Try it, you'll like it!
Photos: Top Right - Living room "Coffee Table" Hold all tree ornaments and knick Knacks. Bottom Left - Chest in foyer holds front porch decorations and electric candles.
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Richard,
Only you would write a Christmas post about how to cut your work in 1/2 by storing items at hand.....But it is a genius idea.....I always wanted to leave the ornaments on our artificial tree and just put it on wheels and roll it out to the garage and cover it until next year - we haven't figured out how to do it yet.
Richard - sounds like a great idea, I will hide it from wife otherwise she will be after me to build a couple of chests, right after I finish the winerack right after I finish the bookshelves right after I finish my grandsons toys, right after I finish, well, you get the picture.
Richard, "Hints from Heloise" can't shine a candle to your efforts. My wife doesn't think I'm less than helpful, she thinks I'm a downright impediment.
Julie...
I have to give my wife the credit for the original idea after hearing all of my bellyaching about going up and down the stairs! But I implemented the idea and made it a reality so I guess I do deserve some credit! lol.
Hmmm...how about a "Murphy Bed" Christmas tree that unfolds from the wall? lol
Big Mike...
Or you could hit the junk stores and find some pretty cheap! ;) BTW what's your wife's email address?
Richard,
I setup the artificial tree and everybody else does the decorating. I am known as the Scrooge at Christmas time.
Richard, when you said "A lot of the women seemed to think that their husbands were less than helpful ....." were you saying that Mel and I are a lot of woman? What exactly did you mean by that comment. Was it like hubba hubba, a lot of woman, or like, 5 to 7 pounds overweight kind of a lot of woman?
Other than that confusion, I think your ideas are a good one. It is a lot of work. Lugging all of that dusty stuff up, carrying all of the every day decorations down. Then reversing the process after the holidays. My youngest loves Christmas very much and he loves to help decorate, although he doesn't do a lot of carrying either. But it is nice to have some company, because my older son is like his dad. If I didn't take so much as a snow globe out, he wouldn't care.
Richard -
You're a genius!
But I still hate to get up on that high ladder to string Christmas lights, when it's snowing, cold, and very windy!
Happy Holidays!
DEAN & DEAN'S TEAM CHICAGO
Rich...
The key is to simplify the process, so you go from heel to hero! lol
Don...
I do my job ... I will do a post later on decorating the outside. It takes a total of 4 hours and it looks GREAT!
Susan...
I think any woman 5-7 pounds "overweight" is hubba-hubba! So that is not an issue. I like women that enjoy food and drink and laughter!
I think you would be surprised at how much decorating we do. There is a lot packed into those containers, and the transformation is nothing short of dramatic!
As we get closer, I'll have a lot more pics!
Richard, I think any man who enjoys women who like food, drink and laughter is a great catch! You are quite a gentleman!
I'm looking forward to the outside decorations because I do that as well. As the years go by, I am afraid I'll fall off of a ladder, so I've been doing the shrubs instead of trees. I've never been very good at the outside and Jack has no interest at all, so I look forward to instruction from my favorite Italian in Newnan.
Richard, my firends had an easy solution. They got a realistic looking tree, decorated it one Christmas, when the seaon ended they draped it with a large sheet and carried it to the attic. Then carried down the next year! Talk about bah humbug!
Richard, My friend, even after 38 years I can go from hero back to zero in the blink of an eye...and never know why.
Dean...
I have a solution for that too, but that's for another post!
Susan...
I think that you will like it! No ladders!
Laura G...
I have thought about that, but I have reasons not to and that's for another post!
Rich...
Welcome to the club! (Well, most of the time I know why!)lol
Brilliant! It would cut down on a lot of stress.
Richard: Great idea! In my house, I'm the decorator, so it's really tension with myself and the overstuffed basement. But I did take steps to better organize the basement so I can, at a glance, know exactly where my Christmas stuff is. I used large, clear rubbermaid storage containers and a label maker. And I ditched the artificial (put-it-together-one-limb-at-a-time) tree. I spent (more than I had planned) on an artificial, prelit, tree that comes in four easy pieces. Woo-hoo! More time to enjoy the tree...and less time getting eaten alive by and the branches and lights. :)
Great advice! Perhaps Tony will get some Christmas gifts he didn't ask for this year. I am tired of the battle every holiday season. He sends out the Christmas cards because he likes to write long personal messages on them. Any tips on how to get him to cook? My family comes to my house and it gets a little stressful.
"Food, drink and laughter!" Now you are speaking my language. What's a few extra pounds when you are having fun?
Good idea unless your Christmas decorations equal the amount of furniture you already have the in the house. Richard we prctically re-furnish te house for christmas.
Perhaps that is the issue? Hmmmmm, makes me wonder! :)
Bo
Richard, what a clever idea to cut down on the transition time. We still leave all ours out in the garage but haven't been doing the indoor tree so that has saved us a lot of effort.
Great idea....I used to have to "lug" everything by myself! I found storage areas around the house that are out of sight and it works much better! And as you said.....it's also quicker!
This is an area of big battles in my house too. Mostly over the outside lights...
Scott...
It's like putting the stuff in a box and letting it sit there all year!
Chris Ann...
The key is having it close at hand. I literally take the ornaments off the tree and set them in the box. It's cool!
Mel...
If there's one thing I don't like, it's someone who's on a diet during the holidays and tries to ruin it for everyone else. Forget it, I'm eating whatever I want!
Bo...
You would be amazed at how tightly I have the decorations packed. For instance, in the living room, the stuff in the cedar chest used to be packed into eight orange crate sized boxes. I think the thing I hated most was the stairs, and I have eliminated that!
Richard- your wife is ingenious! My husband is Mr. Christmas. Loves to help and gets upset when I suggest an artificial tree or a live one. Although he does comment on how I need to liquidate some decorations...just because I accumulate more each year! Do you think that's gonna happen?
Gary...
We have a great spot for a tree so we do it every year. I have a lot of other good things to share but that's for more posts!
Mandi...
It's always there, you just don't know it! ;)
Leslie...
I have a solution for that, for later! lol
Lori...
I have some great tales to tell about some of our Christmas stuff! But youre going to have to wait to hear about it! ;)
Really good idea your wife came up with but I still am a little old fashion. No tension, my wife just tells me to get off my can and go get the decorations. I carry them in and she decorates while I play like Casper and disappear.
That is funny Cameron. Now I have a new phrase I will use around the house.
Cameron...
I have to help put them out because I remember where they go. Wait a minute, her memory is better than mine. I think I've been had!
Mel...
Oh you are a silly goose! lol
I am actually the one playing Casper right now! He is cooking steaks on the grill and I am waiting for him to ask me to do something... Was I complaining about him not cooking earlier? I stand corrected.
Mel...
A grilled steak sounds pretty good to me right now!
No kiddin'! I 'pulled a Richard' so was out taking pics most of the day. I got one in particular I think you may like. I will post it tomorrow. As for now, I am tired and just want to eat...
Mel...
I took photos today but I am disappointed with the results. I think that I am losing it!
I seriously doubt that! Besides, you have so many to prove you have it.
Mel...
Thanks, but I am trying to TOP them! lol
Mel...
I do what I can to help!
Richard, it is a chore but, like childbirth, the result is so wonderful that you try to forget the agony of getting to the "happy place"!
After decorating a tree for 50-some years, I'm tried of it. So a few years ago, I bought a four-foot artificial tree. It stores intact, with all the lights attached. I set it up on my sofa-back table in front of the living room window, hang a few ornaments, plug it in, attach the star and I'm set. Takes all of 30 minutes, max. Plus, I don't have to tie it to the wall so the cats won't try to climb it and knock it over.
Well, don't you just seem smarter and smarter with every post I read?!?! Seriously, very ingenious. Kudos to the wife for coming up with a plan to get what she wants without having to hear the complaining! Think I'm more impressed with her. (no offense!!) No, where's my honey do list? I thank you... my husband will probably have other choice words for you! hehehe!! ~A:)
I live in a 100 year old house, the only storage is under the stairs. Getting Christmas out means out comes Easter, Halloween, and gift wrap I've been buying from my daughter's school for the past 8 years. As my last job, and one I still do part time was floral design. I've all ways done the front of my house. Fresh greens boxwood topiaries, fresh fruit wreathes and the like. but 3 years ago I asked my Mother - in - Law to move in with us as my Father -in - Law passed away on Christmas Day a year before. Well three years ago she looked at me and with a big smile said " can't wait to see how you decorate for Christmas in here" Boy did I panic I never do the inside. You can bet I do know
Good idea Richard...It's just that my wife is a bit over the head on Christmas. She collects snowmen and has 10-12 plastic 30 gallon totes of just them. I guess I just have to make the trips!
Great idea! My Christmas tree is also up in the attic... fully decorated! Still, every time I think about getting it down, I have to consider getting it back up there. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and I love looking at beautiful decorations. But the work involved makes me just want to admire all the decorated trees in stores and businesses around here and keep my own decorations simple.
I had a friend who left her Christmas tree up year round. She changed the ornaments monthly.
I liked it but wouldn't want to do it.
I don't know how I missed all these posts of yours. Where have I been? This is great! I do this in a "sort of" kinda way. Got the tree in a spare bedroom closet, boxes of ornaments in the downstairs coat closet, etc. etc. etc. I just don't have an attic & don't want to clutter up the garage. Love the ideas! Km