We put up a tree and decorations before our daughter was born, and put them up now, after she’s living thousands of miles away. We just like decorating.
With my ex, we had a decorated tree every year. I have yet to establish a tradition with my soon-to-be-wife, but we also have two cats, which makes the idea of having a tree a little more…challenging. Beyond that, we have a bit of a tradition of traveling to Vegas over Christmas, and we’ll be doing so again this year.
So I guess my answer would be that I’m completely happy to have a Christmas tree, fully lit, despite the lack of children. But I don’t have one currently because it isn’t all that practical.
I never used to put presents out because I was a smoker and didn’t want them all stinky, so they went in my closed-off room so as to be as smoke-free as possible. That and I tried not to have to buy presents.
This year I have 5 kids and 2 cats to buy for, and I’m not a smoker, so I’m trying to decide how to put stuff under, around or near my little tree as it’s never been used as a centerpiece for presents before.
But I guess this poll is only for non-single people, so I won’t vote. sniffle
We’ll put out more candles and some swags & garlands, but stopped with trees years ago, partly because the cats enjoyed them too much and partly because we hated having a dead tree in the house. Tried a live tree a couple times but could never succcessfuly plant them outside later on.
We’ve never bothered with any decorations, but there’s no “bah humbug” about it: we are not anti-Christmas, just lazy. Now that we have a six-week old, we are having to discuss what we want future Christmases to mean/be like in our very secular household.
My boyfriend LOVES Christmas, and would be devastated if we didn’t go all-out (his kids are grown, I never had them, we aren’t going to have any together for medical/genetic reasons as well as preferring our child-free life). He IS the kid. We have a little dog, but the dog knows better than to bother things that aren’t “his”. We put up a stocking for him, too, anyway - it’s “paw-shaped”. 
So, tree, lights, bulbs, tinsel, skirt, knick-knacks, trinkets, candles, wreath, pine-boughs on the shelves, Christmas-themed towels in the bathrooms and kitchen, Christmas music on the stereo, big plastic inflatable sno-globe with caroling snowmen inside it in the front yard- yep. The whole nine yards.
ETA: why would anyone think they should dictate that child-free people “shouldn’t” have a tree, or get excited about Christmas? I suppose these same people would think we’re “weird” because we love to go to Disney without kids. Phooey!
We put up a tree, either the 6’ artificial or the 3’ optic fiber, with presents unless we’re going out of town.
Tree, no stockings, lighted wreaths outside, sometimes strings of lights. I checked the first option because it’s the closest.
We put up a wonderful tree and hang stockings for ourselves, plus the cats and dogs. The challenge is to keep the dogs from eating the stockings.
We put up a leg lamp in the front window every year, from the day after Thanksgiving until New Year’s Day.
Last year Tom Scud’s siblings, their spouses, and the 2-year-old niece crashed with us for the week, so we went all out (tree, lights, presents under tree, etc.) This year we will be at his brother’s place for the holiday, so we probably won’t bother with a tree. But we are having a caroling party the Saturday before, so we will hang whatever other decorations we have (lights, tinsel, etc.) for that.
I really got into decorating when I moved into my first apartment. You don’t want to know how much I spent and the hours I put into making ornaments. I love how it looks and the memories it brings back-- my dad loved Christmas and died just a few days before Christmas of '91. Decorating is sort of a tribute to him, which makes it all the sweeter.
For those with pets-- florist’s wire will hold on the ornaments and a length of wire around the trunk, anchored to the wall in the back will keep the tree upright. Makes it easier to get the thing to stand up straight, too.
We put up a tree, and everyone we know helps decorate it! The cats chew it. The parrots envy it. Pagans appreciate it and how solstice -y it is.
And then we have a huge amount of food and some alcohol and watch Christmas movies!
Single and childless.
I have a real tree most years and I throw up a few decorations and some lights. I don’t go all out Martha Stewart style, but I do like to bring out the Christmas stuff I own and display it, even if its just for me and the dogs and the cats to enjoy.
Before we had our son, we always did tree, lights, presents and stockings. And of course now that we have a child, we still do all those things.
There, there ZipperJJ, I didn’t mean to exclude you or other singles. I was talking with a co-worker and they didn’t understand why I would bother with all that stuff since I don’t have kids.
there are just some folks out there that don’t understand that a person’s life does not end because they didn’t procreate, and that holidays can still be fun. Just curious as to the Dope’s collective take on it.
Thanks for all the responses! 
Of course, always, the whole nine yards. Who said Christmas was just for kids??? (…and for believers for that matter).
I was wondering that, myself. If Christmas is only for people who have kids, could someone take all those commercial off my tv, please?
We put up the artificial tree some years, some years we don’t. We put some lights on the outside of the house because Christmas is a very dark time here, and I like the effect of Christmas lights lighting up the night. We do a little decorating inside, nothing fancy. I used to do stockings, but I was the only one buying for them, and it seemed kind of weird to fill my own stocking. Maybe I’ll do it anyway; I like stocking stuffers.
I’m single, I go the whole nine yards.
I’m surprised to hear so many people mention cats as an issue. I’ve had cats all my middle-aged life and none of them has ever taken any interest at all in the Christmas tree. I will admit we don’t use tinsel because they do eat that if it’s left out. What exactly do your cats do to the tree?