For the childfree couples out there that celebrate Christmas: Do you go with the tree, decorations and at least a few of the “whole nine yards”, or are the trappings of Christmas only for kids?
Husband and I put up a tree, and stockings (for us and the dogs), and a few decorations. And as December wears on (and wears me out) presents gradually show up under the tree.
Just curious if other childfree people see it as more of a kids holiday, or if its good for all us kids-at-heart.
Trees belong outside. They look stupid inside the house, and covering them in shiny crap doesn’t help.
We have a tinsel tree that comes out of the attic each year. It’s nice to have something brightly coloured and cheerful in the living room during the darkness of winter!
I voted “Tree only, with presents under it,” but we don’t really put the presents under it, because our dogs are inquisitive. We put the presents on the desk near the tree. We used to do stockings, but haven’t in a while.
It’s been 10 years since I had a tree, but I decked them halls.
My current apartment is too small for a real tree.
We don’t decorate every year - maybe 3 out of every 5 - but when we do it’s the whole 9 yards.
I voted Bah Humbug, because generally that’s my attitude.
However it is not my husband’s, so I usually put up some sort of decorations, depending on my mood. Last few years I’ve done a tiny tabletop tree with lights, some outdoor lights around the door and the window onto the porch (so it’s cheery as he comes home), and a few years ago I made him a stocking full of little things instead of a single big present.
We both tend to buy things we need/want as we need/want/can afford them, and we have wildly different interests so it’s hard to buy for the other person. Christmas is an event I personally could do without, but I don’t think my husband is ready to be done with it yet.
I am pretty much bah-humbug leading up to it, but busting out the tree and sticking presents under it is a blast for me. Plus, the stockings full of gifts for the dogs. On christmas day, we basically let the dogs have an overwhelming orgy of toys - for one day, they get all of them to choose from. By the end of the day, each of them has selected a toy to destroy first, and the rest are put away until the first set are fully demolished.
We have a bay window that is extended to the second story, with a spiral staircase running up the middle. Husband has built a large shelf at the 2nd story window, so that’s where we stick the tree and presents, in order to avoid the inevitable urine soaking that would regularly occur. Thanks dogs.
Heck, tygre and I have kids and we’re probably going completely treeless this year.
We have a small pre-decorated tabletop tree that comes out every year. Presents go around it. Done.
Wife loves all the trappings so the only time we skip it is if we’re vacationing.
If all goes well, this is our last childfree Christmas, but we have always decorated. Part of it is that my husband loves Christmas more than any other atheist I’ve met, so he loves putting up lights and having a tree. The other reason is that we throw a New Year’s party every year, and it just feels wrong to invite all our friends to an undecorated house.
We used to put up a tree and decorate a lot, but then we got parrots, and parrots view trees, even artificial ones, as a chew toy. Even better if it has lights and sparkly bits! We’re talking about animals that peel pecans like humans peel a banana. No Christmas tree could possibly survive them for more than a few days.
These past few years we have had little to celebrate, and haven’t even had the money for presents for each other, so we more or less skipped the holiday decorating.
Now that things are improving, however, we’re discussing how to resume celebrating/decorating in a manner that our pets won’t destroy and won’t drive us crazy and won’t burn up too much money.
We have a tree (artificial) but we don’t put presents under it; we don’t surprise each other with gifts. We have some other assorted decorative knick-knacks as well, like a 3’ high nutcracker figurine.
So none of the options exactly fits. I guess I’ll vote “tree + presents”.
I have a little dog. A tree would just be too tempting for him.
When I was single, childless and living alone I still got a tree and decorated it. Didn’t do any other decorations, just the tree with lots of lights and ornaments.
The fact that I worked for a garden center and got comped a tree didn’t hurt but I probably still would have done so. Even with a free tree, it’s a solid evening’s undertaking to make it look nice.
The cats would destroy a Christmas tree within seconds.
This will be my first Christmas since I got married, but I was living in sin before that. We do have a tree (in the process of being decorated at the moment), stockings, etc.
I voted Bah Humbug, but not because I don’t want a tree/decorations or think childfree folks shouldn’t have them. The reasons I don’t have them are:
I’d love to have stockings and decorations and a fully decked-out tree. But all of that stuff takes time–time to shop for it (or dig through the storage locker looking for the “Xmas Stuff” box), time to plan it, time to take it down, and time to put it up. I’d rather spend that time doing other stuff. Plus we have a several curious cats, and any Christmas tree wouldn’t survive their “ministrations.” We’re thinking about putting up our fake tree this year with just lights on it (no dangly tempting ornaments)–we’ll see how that goes. The spouse doesn’t think it will end well. 
When I was with my ex husband, we went all out. We lived in a duplex and decorated our half of the outside. If it did not move, the ex would cover them with twinkle lights. We had the blown plastic Santa, candy canes down the sidewalk, the Nativity scene (ex fil made me a wooden creche)…you name it.
We had a real tree inside, all decorated with lights, glass ornaments, etc. We hung stockings for the furry kids, and for us also. (The fur kids were allowed into the living room with supervision on Christmas morning to open their presents, but then they went back into solitary confinement. We had a glass door that separated the living room from the rest of the apartment).