Was it always this bare?!

12 days of Christmas. I like to make the most of them they are only a few days out of the winter. Everyone is so busy-busy before Christmas (baking, crafting etc) now surely it’s nice to enjoy them? Sod cleaning for a few days!
#lazygran

Oh yes , lots of cheese & pickles to be had here!

But it's still Christmas. We've got Xmas food left.

I’ve just been given a lovely big bunch of bright tulips . They’re definitely cheering the place up !

I was always glad to take mine down this year they were never up .

Son is bringing my shopping later, and he will take my tree down.When we ‘did’ Christmas when the children were small, I always did a big clean and put out some fresh flowers, as the house did look bare. I can’t wait to get rid of the tree now.
Mind you, I do have a lovely Nativity tea light holder which I’m tempted to leave out all year.

I have taken down our decorations, this morning.
They went up earlier than usual, and have come down earlier.
Although I have left the long string of lights along one wall, as I love it when they are switched on in the early afternoon, but I may change my mind .

What's all this about dusting round the tree and picking up cards? I think you're making work for yourself. I hang my cards on strings, so they don't fall over. And I clean when I take the decorations down. It's a holiday season, so there's no way I want to be doing housework

Ditto, Septimia
Although I did vacuum a bit yesterday

My friend has nice embroidered Christmassy cloths which she puts out to avoid dusting.

Our decorations won't come down till the weekend or early next week then it will be a big, bright, bunch of flowers as another poster has said. Amaryllis and other potted bulbs should be in bloom soon.

I do love putting the decorations up and they went up earlier this year than I usually do but I want to take them down down. Clean through, buys some fresh flowers, throw out the leftovers and get back on our usual fare. we are still 'moving in' I suppose so more stuff to do like putting up curtains, getting someone in to scope out the landscaping for us and learning about the local area, lots to do. I hope this all makes January go quickly and its soon vaccine time for us all.

Our tree & decorations will come down at the weekend. I appreciate that this time is always a bit of a "downer" (when all the glitz is gone) and somehow this year I think that it will feel worse than usual. I'm considering a houseplant "re-shuffle" which might help a little.

I haven’t taken them down yet probably this weekend but I like it when it goes back into it’s box have a Hoover round and put the plants back in the window and look toward 2021 with fingers crossed

My decs are still up as I didn’t do them until 20th December. I’ll wait until NY is past then take them down. This year, I think I might leave the white outside lights up until spring/longer days. Quite a few people now have year-round outdoor lights and it will enliven the gloomy days on Jan/Feb.

Once the Xmas stuff is packed away I like to put vases of daffodils and pots of bulbs around the place. I’ve also got an amaryllis to start off.

I love our tree and decorations, they will come down at the weekend as DH back to work next week, the room will look bare. We too have cards hung on a string, the tree has shed very few needles, we’ll bung the hoover round and dust when the tree is out and everything packed away in the loft.

I agree, it always looks bare when the decorations come down. Mine are still up - until 12th night.

What's all this about dusting round the tree and picking up cards? I think you're making work for yourself. I hang my cards on strings, so they don't fall over. And I clean when I take the decorations down. It's a holiday season, so there's no way I want to be doing housework

I too took everything down day after Boxing Day. I loath the clutter. Don't feel bad about doing so at all. Actually, having said that, I've kept the "welcome lamp" on the lounge windowsill to light up at evening time but only until the coming weekend!

I’m keeping all mine up till 6 January. And then my lovely candlebridge light with its soft comforting glow, bought for me by my mum, until Candlemas which some kind poster on the Good Morning thread told me was 2 February. I like a bit of cosy cheer. Not glittery & sparkly stuff admittedly, just extra light as I’m not ready to embrace the gloom just yet this Christmas for some reason...

I am now desperate to take the decorations down but will have to wait until the week-end when DGS can come and take the boxes back out of the loft there is no chance of me getting up the ladders.

No, I am with PollyDolly on this. I like the place to be clear and easier to clean.
Once Boxing Day has passed, I am thoroughly fed up with decorations.
One thing though... Every single year I fail to spot ONE decoration and find something lurking weeks later that I failed to put away!

No, I always feel the house looks cleaner and tidier when the decs and tree come down.

Why not add a couple of cushions and a lamp or something, in a warm contrasting colour, to cheer the place up?

Blush pink looks nice.

Yes, but the constant having to pick up Christmas cards that have fallen over, re-arrange the window sill, dust around the tree etc just gets on my nerves! I shall treat myself to some lovely flowers to brighten the place up.