The KonMarie method

in_need_of_direction

One full bag to the chazza in a reusable tesco bag that had seen better days. A few other things dumped or recycled.

silvasava

Such terrible shocking acts in France again - so sad.

I've cut down on Christmas cards and only send to people I don't see often during the year. I love the tree and decorations but they don't go up until the weekend before Christmas and they come down the weekend after so never longer than 2 weeks. DS1's birthday is on 12th night (always said he was a changeling ) so they are always down before then.
I've managed to sort some more of Aunties clothes & now have a box & 3 bags to go to the club tomorrow & I took a box and a half to the CS late yesterday. Only another 2 boxes to go!

in_need_of_direction

Isn't it weird how we view the same thing differently? My dad's birthday was also 12th night and we always kept the decorations up until then. I still do but they only go up around the 23rd.

Siebrie

We celebrate st nicolas on the fifth, then my birthday on the 13th, and only then do the xmas decs go up. We go to my parents on 24 December, and stay until 2 January, and will take down the decorations on 3 January.

YORKSHIRELASS

Hi all

Mmm, Christmas. I enjoy having a bit of time off work but my boss is a scrooge and makes a point of not doing Christmas. I will be expected to go into the office between Christmas and New Year and he will find me things to do just to prove a point.

There is just so much pressure to spend, and we dont have the spare cash to do it. My OH has a big family who go mad with presents - they wouldnt dream of scaling it back a bit. So we will end up with lots of those 3 for 2 gift sets and now that I have Kon-Maried my house it fills me with dread.

Then I have two teenagers who understand that money is tight but all their friends will talk about for the next month is what they are getting. It astounds me how much many of these kids get for birthdays and Christmas.

So I will try really hard to make it fun and festive and spend as little as possible but if I am honest I could quite happily skip the whole thing.

Sorry for the moan!

silvasava

in_need_of_direction wrote: »

Isn't it weird how we view the same thing differently? My dad's birthday was also 12th night and we always kept the decorations up until then. I still do but they only go up around the 23rd.

I would have done but DS2's birthday is on the 14th & when they were little it seemed unfair for one to have decorations.
DH's family when he was a child only put the decorations up after the children went to bed on Christmas Eve - MiL used to do all the cooking overnight too. DH said when they woke up in the morning it was like a fairy land. He's the eldest of 6 so can only imagine the amount of work involved. His Gran was German & he said the children used to stand in front of a lit (real candles :eek:) tree to sing Silent Night in German. Wonderful memories - isn't that what we're all trying to create? If you think about it our best memories rarely involve the gifts.
Have a good day all x

jinny

Good morning kondo mates
Hope all is well

I brought my kids up on my own. Didn't get much help from anyone and I didn't expect it really. Their Father was a cheapskate with them
He used to spend Xmas in Spain with his latest squeeze.
They didn't even get a phone call. I refer to him as their father as the name 'Dad' has to be earned.
Best bit of Kondoing I did in the eighties getting shot of him!
Way long before MK.
Always thought I was ahead of my time:D

I used to decorate the house upto the hilt. Every room had deccies up
Made a big thing of the food and festivities. We had a lovely amateur pantomime. Carol service and school nativity play.
That's what I made a fuss off.

On the 1st week in December they wrote out a letter to Santa. This was mainly about how good they thought had been and to thank him for his hard work.
We then added a 'cheque' for him that we all signed and decorated.
They were told I had to pay for presents they got.
They got one big gift each. I still was paying for them for months though to a catalogue:eek: The rest just stocking fillers I saved and collected over time.
I don't think I spoiled the magic doing that. They loved Christmas one of mine still does like a big kid. We still don't go overboard just enjoy the day together.

mavvymoo

Hi kondoites
I have been shocked with the tagic events in Paris along with the rest of the world.

As I have said I am not a big Christmas fan but it is due to the ads trying to get us to spend and familys put under pressure. I just wish it was a simple joyful time rather than a stressful expensive time.But I have no problem with others doing Christmas as they wish So enjoy it what ever way you do it

Talking of Christmas we have been invited to spend it with good friends of ours who have added 2 GC to the family this year

So it will be the babies first Christmas and TBH we were very humbled to even be asked to share their very special family time

So from just the two of us now it is 12 including the GC So I am sure a great day will be had by all.Dad is going away with my Bro and family so he will also have a great time

I asked what she would like me to bring and she said she would chuck us out if we took a thing. So what ideas have you got as to what I could take as there is no way I would turn up empty handed.

The Charity day at the rescue centre was a fantastic joyful day and I enjoyed it from start to end.Hardwork but worth every second In fact I am doing another day today as the fund raising is over the whole weekend.Hopefully they can raise enough to keep the animals in feed etc over the winter as they now closed to the public until Easter.

I spent a lot of time with the farm animals and 'Tessa' the turkey was one of my favorites (but dont tell the others );)

So thats me just catching up with you all

Have a joyful peaceful day all

Mav x

MMF007

Silvasava, you have it exactly right, our best memories rarely involve gifts. Once we realise that and get on with making happy memories we've cracked it!!

Jinny, your Christmas sounds wonderful and you made those lovely memories for you and your family for ever!
Loved the family chq signing to pay for the pesents, genius way of dealing with several issues! :T

I feel so sorry for some of my friends kids. There's not much money to spare but they do ok, but they live in an afluent area and the kids are bombarded by others talking about the, seemingly hundreds of, presents they are going to get (yes, not just what they'd like, but what they have
'ordered')..

See you later, cleaning to do and some kondo-ing!

M

Ellidee

7 benefits of living simply http://bemorewithless.com/invisible/