When my children were little, sure I did the whole nine yards. The last few years though, I'm kind of minimal about it. My mantra has become less is more.

I love to decorate with each season. It brings a sense of excitement inside. It's also like yourself help my kids (now that their grown) carry this into their adult lives. It's so weird to see them now worrying about xmas lights and carving pumpkins. Trying to find the adequate bowl for giving out Halloween candy.
Worrying about the right wreaths on the doors. I think this says a lot about you and the space you call home.

Yes! But you can definitely decorate for the seasons with out being tacky. Pumpkins and mums for fall. Bright flowers for summer and spring. I admit total tackiness for Christmas, though. I tend toward the gaudy at Christmas time.

We like as genuine an experience as possible, but dead bodies are getting harder and harder to obtain. And we're not so desperate that we'd kill anyone for the sake of being authentic.

No more than a few Christmas balls...

I used to decorate outside for the seasons and holidays until a group of high school kids thought it would be hilarious to vandalize everything. It's sad but now we don't decorate anything outside. We don't even give out Halloween candy anymore.

i have 1 box dedicated to all my seasonal decorating items, which isnt much, considering the majority of xmas tree decorations.

any 'seasonal' items ive purchased end up staying up year round, because they're mostly cool halloween items.

Pansies in pots in the spring, Dahlias or Impatens in the pots in the summer, pumpkins on the stoop in the fall, snowbanks in the winter. I decorate my door (it has a hideous fake foliage wreath on it right now- I want to make on of those argyle wreaths but haven't had a chance to get a wreath form yet), during the 'winter holidays' I have a very minmalist metal snowflake thingy hanging on a red ribbon.

Christmas is the only holiday I really decorate for inside. My grandmother has given me a bunch of dishtowels over the years, so I admit to having Valentines and Halloween dish towels, and a rather fetching adirondack chair one for the summer.

I love decorating for the fall and for Christmas. For fall, I normally have a few carved pumpkins on my stoop, some mini-pumpkins indoors, and maybe some twigs in a vase. I think it makes my home warm and cheery. Of course, it doesn't hurt to have some cider simmering on the stove either. :)

No. I do not. We move all the time (military), and space in our apartments is usually limited. It gets old carting extra "stuff" all over the country. I'd rather spend money and time on seasonal cooking than decorating. If we were more static and lived in a house, I would probably be more festive. It just gets to be too much of a hassle when you are limited on space.

We put up a tree and stockings at Christmas, but that's about it. I find that most seasonal decor doesn't go with our existing decor, and I'm too lazy to figure out a way to mesh it well :)

I don't. Doesn't do much for me. A simple pumpkin or two, carved if my granddaughter visits, of course. Christmas lights, little nice white tasteful ones. A few flower pots in season. I really can't be bothered dragging loads of stuff out for use only once a year. Too much stuff! I like my tasteful landscaping and let it go at that. I think it pleases the folks who do it more than the viewers. Just my take.

When I was little my mother used to decorate for the holidays, going all out for Halloween and Christmas. I never really took up the practice when I moved out, and now that she has no more children at home she doesn't really continue the practice either. I know she has gets a Christmas Tree every year still [albeit a small one], but I myself don't tend to spend Christmas at home and so don't feel the need to get one.

I try to go all out! It's fun, we usually make a big craft party out of it. Why not celebrate when given the opportunity to? Life is too boring to turn down the offer :p

I have a small box of holiday decorations but rarely use them. It seems pointless to set up kid-style decorations, reindeer, bunnies, and all that, since I never had kids. I'd forgotten I like floral arrangements in seasonal colors and seasonal produce centerpieces. I like that they needn't be stored. I may do that again, thanks for the reminders.

I only really decorate for Christmas and with the exception of a wreath on the door, all the decorating is on the inside of the house.

I like to change things up tastefully ... I tend to burn more candles, put out the throw blankets and place pumpkins here and there when it comes fall and then in the winter make it even cozier with christmas decorations that are understated or have a certain nostalgia tied to them ... but you wouldnt catch me putting up those horrible blow up pumpkins, sants, even pilgirms that people put on their front lawn ... tacky.

Nope. Hate it.

@veslabeachgirl So are colored lights not tasteful?

I put up a few Halloween decorations and plenty of Christmas stuff. I think it's fair to say I inherited those practices from my mother.

I've never ever felt a need to (even for Christmas) until we moved into our house this summer. Now I'm all excited for decorating for Halloween. Not much, probably just carving a pumpkin and maybe some fake spiderwebs or something on the door, but I'm really excited to dress up the house a little and for passing out candy to the kids. I'm also excited for Christmas - a tree and stockings and some garland. Now that I have a basement to store such things the rest of the year (including tree since I'm allergic to real ones), I'm very excited!

But all the decorating my mom always did for every little holiday (Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, etc) with the kitchy stuff... No.

Agreed @SewTrashy, holiday decorating with limited space can be a hassle. I limit my Halloween decor to one storage box and Christmas to two. I plan seasonal decorating around our storage limits. We use papercuts that can be stored flat for Halloween. I also buy things that won't be stored like fresh pumpkins (currently $2.99 at Trader Joe's) for Halloween and fresh garlands for Christmas.

Bruce's post is making me laugh really hard.

@BruceS63: can we have a virtual beer sometime, I do believe I have a crush :)

In regards to the post question - I do when I have time. I try to stick to things that are or once were living like pumpkins and mums for Halloween/Fall in general.

Christmas time I'll do a nice pine wreath, still haven't gotten a fake tree and I will not do a fresh tree.

That's it though, those 2 holidays are all I'll do. None of this Valentine's Day, 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day nonsense. If you have the time for that more power to you.

@themoderngal: there's 2 kinds of decorators in this world, those that dig on colored lights and those that don't.

And never the twain shall meet.

Would like to, but I just don't have time for it. But if I could, I'd like to have one or two items out for a seasonal table display -- a small bowl of miniature pumpkins of different types, that sort of thing.

No massive piles of dustcatchers, though, and no godawful needlepoint yarn "NOEL" hangings on the wall like the ones my aunt once put all over my dad's house.

I love decorating for the Halloween and Christmas! We usually keep the outside decorations to a minimum though.

Now that I have a daughter, I want to make the holiday season special for her. Indoors, will be decorated fully, but in good taste, of course ;)

Christmas white light strands are more elegant than multi. I hear multi isn't even allowed in some nicer neighborhoods! However, I was a kid when multi was the norm, so they seem festive and kid-oriented rather than tacky. White strands seem more suited to Italian restaurant al fresco dining to me. I use after-Christmas clearance white strands in my garden at night all year.

I swapped my snapdragons for mums outside, and I'm changing up my indoor flower displays, too (well, as much as the grocery store selection will permit). We have a little uncarved pumpkin on the table outside. At Christmas, maybe a wreath.

Minimalists, for sure... especially for people with kids.

Yes. We do the haunted house thing for the kids in the neighborhood. We just moved in last year, and you wouldn't believe how many thank you cards and then cookies we got from parents who said their kids went crazy for it. I loved it as a kid, too, so I like getting everyone excited for Halloween.

I don't even decorate for Christmas.

I'm normally not into cheesy seasonal decor BUT I have a thing for ceramic pumpkins. I have no idea why, but I just like them! I practice self control and only have 3 of them which come out Oct. 1st and decorate the dining table, but I warned my husband, I've got the itch to add another to the collection this year. lol! Other than that I change the table linens to more seasonal colors, put a wreath on the door and get some (real) pumpkins and gourds usually too. When we were kids my mom used to go all out, especially on halloween night (Hello fake cobwebs!) but now days she sticks to gourds and Indian corn, etc. Although she just retired and has a lot of time on her hands... it could get scary over there!

And you're right, @everythingistaken! It's really special to decorate a house for trick-or-treaters after being in an apartment for years! SO fun!

Bleck. I grew up in the suburbs. I loathe most holiday decorations unless they involve seasonal food, on a table, I cooked. Especially the country/homey dreck from Michaels, imported toxic junk.

But now that I have small kids I enjoy their excitement about the holidays. I find my myself agreeing to the occasional pumpkin. i will also admit to some funny Playmobil scenarios.

We decorate for the seasons more than the holidays. For example: we just potted some mums out front and will soon have pumpkins and a fall wreath on the door. Inside I have a glass pumpkin that I'll fill with fall-colored candy. When it turns to winter there will be a tree inside, stockings, a small white china nativity and a berry or pine wreath on the door. Spring/summer brings new flowers outside and a brighter, cheerier wreath. If we have company over to celebrate, I'll also use seasonal-colored linens. It's festive, but understated. No witches, Santas or Easter bunnies, just items that speak to the season.

Ooh, and how could I forget...scented candles! Pumpkin for fall, gingerbread for winter.

I do NOT decorate for Halloween. It's never been a favorite holiday. I did just pull out some orange things, have mini gourds in a hurricane on the mantle (this is my favorite thing so far), put away my summer-colored vases and pulled out the pumpkin spice candles. This is the first "fall" I've decorated for and there isn't a hay bale in sight. ;) But I will go alllll out on Christmas. Hopefully we'll stay on this side of tacky, but the holidays demand cheer! And since this is our first year in our new home and our daughter is due in December, I will be nesting like a crazy woman!

@threeacres, Congratulations!

When the boys were little, I went all out for Halloween and did a tree and lights for Christmas. Now I put out a 1' aluminum tree for Christmas and do a major blowout for Halloween at work.

This year we're doing Hawaii 5-0/Fantasy Island/Brady Bunch Hawaiian Adventure. I'm dressing up as a witch doctor and make an 8' paper mache volcano that spews candy.

I would like to see more seasonal and holiday decor on this site.

I admit I do "redecorate" for seasonal changes. However, I'm usually switching out tablecloths and buying plants for the front porch. The mantle is always a work in progress but I don't buy new things - I simply use things I already have and rearrange them for the time of year.

I do it as much as I can in a small apartment with no yard or balcony.

My mom still goes all out at Halloween and a bit at Christmas too. She does at least a little something for other holidays (garden flags and what-not). She gets a lot of pleasure out of it, and the little kids in the neighborhood love it too.

I do, but in a way that's related to seasons more than holidays. In the fall, I like our apartment to have a harvest-y, well-stocked feel: I keep a bowl of apples on the table, dig up my summer herb garden and replant it as a window garden, buy pumpkins that we carve into jack-o-lanterns (and make into pumpkin pie).

In winter, I like to have groups of candles in the windowsills, on top of mirror glass, for sparkly light. And I force bulbs in glass containers around the house.

But spring and summer are so nice outside that I don't bother doing anything indoors, unless I bring in some cut flowers or flowering branches.

Since moving to Texas from Indiana I've been a bit less inspired. Something about celebrating fall holidays feels off when there's no fall color. I go all out for Christmas, though. I'm trying to figure out how to go from "I'm in college, Christmas may throw up all over my dorm room!!" to "I live with my fiance, have a job, and have design taste. Also, I like Christmas!" I agree with whoever suggested there be more holiday decorating stuff on this site. Better Homes and Gardens is great and all...but I don't want my home to look like my mom's.

I like the idea of decorating for the holidays. But as a renter and student who also juggles work it really isn't feasible for me to spend money on decorations.

Instead I'll buy a new pot or plant to enhance my outside space and be able to enjoy it year round instead of just for a few weeks.

I do no seasonal decorating. Yes, I live in an apartment but even if I had a house I wouldn't. I am 45 and have never decorated for Christmas, Halloween, etc. Call me a scrooge but I get no enjoyment out of spending money on decorations that only stay up a couple weeks, finding somewhere to store it, wrestling with myself to take it down and put it up and so on. I spend Christmas at my mom's, so I let her decorate to her heart's content. It just isn't my thing--but I know I am definitely the minority. I am into putting less on my to-do list instead of more. :)

Oh yeah! I love decorating for the seasons. I actually like to decorate for Fall more than for Christmas. I even made a DIY scarecrow out of fence posts this year! www.lifeonagravelroad.blogspot.com