You’ve turned the calendar page and realize that it’s that time of year….the holidays. The time of year when the expectations of others is in full swing. You know the ones I’m talking about.
- The expectation that you’ll cook.
- The expectation that you’ll…(gasp!) bake.
- The expectations that you’ll decorate the inside of your home until it looks like it belongs in a magazine.
- The expectation that your outdoor decor will be the pride of the neighborhood.
- The expectation that you’ll open your home to guests and that it will be clean, cozy, warm, and inviting.
Who the heck came up with all these expectations anyway? No one asked me to weigh in on the expectations – they were just…expected.

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure policy for details.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m capable of enjoying the holidays just like anyone else. There are aspects about the holidays that I actually enjoy. But could we scale back on the expectations just a little? No, scratch that. Let’s scale back on the expectations a lot! For busy working women, this time of year can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back….
or the chore that breaks the woman’s back…
or…
well, you get the picture.
It’s just too darn much! And here’s the honest truth….I just don’t want to spend an entire weekend decorating for Christmas. There are other things I’d rather do with my time. I want my Christmas decorating to be simple and easy.
A few reasons I don’t want to decorate for Christmas
1 – You barely get the decorations up before it’s time to take them down.
2 – Lots of decorations means you’ve got to have space to store them the rest of the year.
3 – I don’t like lots of clutter sitting around in the name of decor.
4 – Traditional red and green clashes with the rest of my furnishings.
First off, the good news….you don’t have to decorate! There’s literally no law written anywhere that says, “Thou shalt go forth and decorate with tinsel and garland.”
But even though you may not love the decorating process, there’s a chance that you do enjoy the end result (at least a little). So how do you decorate with minimal effort and get the most impact for your decorating buck?

Choose colors that aren’t too “Christmas-y”
One of the things that annoys me most about decorating for Christmas is that just about the time you get everything out and in place, Christmas is over and it’s time to take it all down. Seriously…you went to all that work and it doesn’t last any longer?
In order to let decorations “linger” a bit longer, don’t focus as much on the traditional red and green. Unless your home is decorated in red and green already, these colors will look faded and sad come December 26.
On the other hand, choosing decorations in other wintry or warmer colors will allow you to carry the decorating theme past December. Instead of cherry red, perhaps a pretty burgundy or maroon color will work. You’ll still get the same effect as a red but it won’t look “wrong” once Christmas has passed.
These pillows will look cheerful and seasonally appropriate but also be great once the holidays have passed.
Likewise, pretty deeper greens (think hunter and olive) will last past the holidays as well.
Both of these green pillows are covers to go over the pillows you already own. I love ideas that cut down on the amount of storage space you’ll need during and after the holidays. For those of us working to cut down the amount of “stuff” we have this is a perfect solution.
I don’t want to decorate for Christmas because traditional colors clash with my furnishings!
Who says Christmas has to be red and green? My house is decorated with shades of blue (my favorite color) so I’m looking for decorations that blend with my other furnishings.
This one I really love! The pattern even looks a bit like Christmas ornament but it will work year-round if you prefer.
This set of 6 pillow covers will let you use your existing throw pillows and add some traditional elements without having to add more pillows to store the rest of the year. When the holidays are over, simply remove the covers, wash them if needed, and fold them away till next year. Hardly any space taken up at all!
Easy holiday for those who don’t want to decorate for the holidays
Here are some ideas to make holiday decorating last longer:
1 – Use color schemes that blend with any decor. White, silver, and gold will compliment most decors and prevent the “Christmas clash”.
2- It’s hard to go wrong with clear lights. I’ve even seen the clear rope lights used to outline and highlight architectural features, as runners down a hallway, as mood lighting around the top of the walls.
3 – A pretty wooden, crystal, or metal tray or bowl looks festive filled with pretty Christmas ornaments or pine cones.
4 – and snowflakes won’t look out of place during the rest of the winter months.
5 – Several small trees are easier to decorate (and un-decorate and store) than are large trees. We put several small trees throughout our house and cluster several small trees together on top of a big planter to create the effect of a small forest.
6 – A winter-themed door wreath make your home look festive even if there are few (or no) other outdoor decorations. Making a wreath that will take you from December through February also cuts down on the amount of wreaths you have to find storage for.
7 – Candles are always an easy decorating secret. Whether you like scented jar candles, tapers, or large pillar candles, they’re easy to swap out when the season changes. The added bonus is the great smell if you use scented ones. I happen to adore candles!
8 – It’s easy to make bows out of pretty ribbon. You can then attach bows everywhere – door handles, picture frames, your banister, tied on to the pull chains of ceiling fans, draped in and around light fixtures. Ribbon is a cheap and easy to add a festive touch. When you’re ready to take them down you have the option of storing the bows in a garbage bag or taking them apart and simply storing the ribbon.
9 – Don’t overlook throw pillows, blankets, and rugs. A pillow can be wrapped with ribbon and made to look like a wrapped gift.
Okay, I’ve talked myself into it…it’s time to start decorating. I’m going to overcome my initial “I don’t wanna do it!” and just get busy. Besides, the way I decorate will be minimal fuss and effort. Just the way I like it.
So what’s your secret for getting your home decorated? Do you love pulling everything out or is it something you dread?
More holiday posts to check out:
- Christmas Decor On A Budget
- How To Have The Christmas Budget Conversation
- How To Create A Gift Closet
- Quick & Easy Thanksgiving Decor

I help older women get past their fear and mindset issues so they can create a plan to pursue their goals and dreams.
********************************************************
Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
********************************************************
I have a problem every fall thru Christmas as my home is mostly coastal colors, but I decorate with all sorts of colors that complement my furnishings
I found this blog because I was looking for others who feel like I do this year – I don’t feel like decorating for Christmas! Life has been crazy since August and I’m just not into. Shelley – I like your idea of simplifying however! I’m not going to put up the tree or Garland or the Christmas village. But I will put up the manger scene, my miniature trees, place a few little animals and ornaments around the house, and maybe somehow out together a simple centerpiece for the coffee table. Yep, I think that’s it! And I already have miniature white lights in our fake year round tree, so … there we go! 😃 Thank you for this blog! ❤
The holidays should be filled with what makes you happy – not what you feel obligated to do. What you’ve got planned sounds like it’s just what you need. I hope you’ll come back to visit again soon.
I tend to decorate with the regular colors I use which right now is a pearly pink then add silver items. We aren’t putting a tree up this year because we are leaving the first of Jan. for Fl for 2.5 months, you should have seen the look on my step daughters face when she found out we weren’t having a tree this year, those expectations. lol
Those expectations can be tough! Have a great holiday season and enjoy your time in Florida.
For us we make Christmas decorations then throw them out when we are done. the ones we keep are simple small. Easy to store away for the next 11 months.
I love that idea! Your tree can look different every year depending on colors and types or decorations you make. You can use edible garlands that the birds can eat after the holidays. And little storage space needed. Sounds like the perfect plan! Thanks so much for sharing it with us.
You hit the nail on the head Shelley. Decorating and planning for Christmas can be such a pain in the butt. We used to go all out when the kids were small, but now that they’re older we’ve toned down a decorating a whole lot. After all it’s not about the decorating but what the day really means
We’ve toned ours down too and the great thing is that it doesn’t detract at all from the celebration! Thanks so much for visiting.
Great decorating ideas!!
I think your post resonates with lots of people! OK, so it does with me. When I think of the work involved for such a short time, it’s hard to be motivated to do it at all. We don’t even have a Christmas tree! I know…gasp! Love the honesty of your post!
Last year I put up our little tabletop trees – and didn’t put any decorations on them. And no one cared!
Such wisdom here!! While red and green look ‘ok’ with the decor in my formal-ish living room, that aren’t as fabulous every where else in the house. I have started incorporating other colors for that reason. Loved the pink pine cones Penny shared in her link-up post!
I have also started concentrating my winter decorating around a snow and fir tree theme rather than Santa. I have a nativity scene and a Santa but use snowflakes and snowmen, too, so I can keep the decorations up through January without feeling too guilty!! Even if we rarely have snow in El Paso.
Great post. Thanks for helping all of us busy gals feel better about what we can and can’t do this holiday season.
Life is too short for “have to’s”. My philosophy is do what you want and don’t sweat it. In the big cosmic scheme of things it’t not that important anyway.
On my best day, I am not excited about decorating! But I love the ideas about the pillow covers – that’s right up my alley! With grandkids living here and me hosting, I’ll need an attitude adjustment, but will get it done. However, I was inspired to sign up for my favorite restaurants e-mail list so I’ll know as soon as their Christmas menus comes out what I’m ordering pre- prepared! That will make Christmas more fun for everyone!
The pillow covers are some of my favorite – they’ll store easy and make use of things already owned. Kudos to you for deciding to order some of the Christmas foods. It’ll make the holidays even easier so that you can enjoy to the fullest.
Hi Shelley! I took the whole holiday decorating to an extreme by giving most of it up. There are a few things I do–but very few! And while I appreciate people who do, I am SO GLAD that I have let go of that at this point in my life. Life is too short to do things that we don’t fully love doing. Good for you for finding a way to make it work for you. ~Kathy
I agree with you completely! Life is about doing what makes you happy rather than doing things just because we feel lie we have to.
Love decorating for Christmas. Some of my decor has a winter theme so it’s good for the duration of winter. We have very long winters so the lights and rich colour make the season more cheerful☃️
I love the idea of the winter theme to stretch the life of the decor.
My husband and I run a retail business — this is our busiest time of the year, so decorating our HOME? HA! No energy, no desire, and no time to be there to enjoy it! Guess I’m not alone!!
My brother and sister-in-law are in retail and are always horribly swamped at this time of year. My sister-in-law jokes that she needs to either decorate in January or July.
Love these ideas. I’m doing the “small tree” thing this year to make things easier. Great tips!
Thanks, Laurie. I’m glad you stopped by.
I’m doing the best possible decorating this year. My husband and I are joining the rest of our family in a first-ever get-together of us all . Only my eldest grandson will be absent as he is stuck in America working towards his green card. (So can’t leave the country. Sad!) So no decorations – but I know their beautiful home will be decorated far more tastily than mine would have been. 🙂
A field day? Get out of bed on the wrong side?
I’m sorry to hear that your grandson won’t be part of the celebration this year!