OK.

A BIG BIG question.

For you.

WHEN do you put your tree up?

The minute Thanksgiving's over?

The first of December?

Before the neighbours 😉

Go on.

Spill the beans. Tell me.

And THEN question two.

What would you think?

Of NOT putting your tree up.

Until Christmas Eve.

And ONLY keeping it up for 12 days?

Could you do it?

Would you do it?

Sounds crazy huh?

But that IS what people used to do.

And you know what?

When you think about it, there's an awful lot to be said for keeping to the twelve days of Christmas.

BECAUSE by Boxing Day.

We're ALL exhausted aren't we?

And crabby. And quarrelling.

And if we're honest a bit disappointed.

Which is NOT surprising when we've been "celebrating" Christmas from some time BACK in November!!!

And we're none of us daft.

We know WHY Christmas gets dragged out so long.

It's so, we can all spend zillions more of our hard earned cash on MORE stuff.

More stuff made in China in dodgy conditions.

Rather than with skill, locally.

More stuff to go in landfill before the year's out.

AND bottom line.

More stuff to CLUTTER our homes.

And make us miserable!

So today let's have a little think.

About how to keep Christmas special.

By cutting it back to how it used to be.

Maybe not just twelve days.

But a short enough period for us to truly enjoy.

With our loved ones.

Without cracking and collapsing exhausted.

Before the big day.

AND whilst we're at it let's say goodbye to to all the battered and broken bits of Christmas tree paraphernalia we've been hoarding.

Whether it's tatty tinsel.

Wonky stands.

Or trees that no longer stand up.

Take five minutes and let it go ...

If you're following along with my quick daily declutter, read on. BUT if you're new do hop back and read how just 10 things can help you declutter easily.

Just 10 Things  - Christmas Trees

Today's declutter is day four of my 10 day Christmas declutter series.

To get the most from the series it is best to start with day one.

We'll stick to our just 10 things rules as far as we can today. BUT tree paraphernalia is a bit bulky isn't it? So we'll have to tweak them slightly ...

• Take 5 minutes or so, 15 minutes max
• Focus on Christmas trees
• Eyeball big stuff like:

1. Artificial trees
2. Tree stands
3. Tree buckets

• Open our eyes to broken, unused stuff
• And let it go
• And THEN without pulling everything onto the floor
• Quickly root through the boxes we got out on day one
• And spot any of these we're ready to let go

4. Tree skirt
5. Tree mat
6. Card trees
7. Tinsel
8. Tree toppers
9. Mini trees
10. Tree bag

Well done for anything you let go.

Some of that big stuff will really clear up space.

And it's amazing how calming it can be to let go of little bits of unused, unloved tat.

BUT more than anything.

Keep in mind what we talked about.

And keep your family Christmas special.

By keeping it short.

And resist the temptation to start early just to fill corporate coffers with your cash!