Janie - I'm totally with you on this one! I hung some paper lanterns from our dining room chandelier for my husband's birthday party in January, and I only got around to taking them down recently. They were so pretty, and made the whole house feel festive. I can't wait for an excuse to put them up again.

We still have our daughter's "Happy Birthday" banner up from the 2nd week of April. For her first birthday we strung paper lanterns down the hallway and left them up for a whole year. We didn't take them down until we had to decorate for birthday #2. The lanterns I was ok with, the birthday banner...not so much.

We left the pom poms from my daughter's first birthday party up for months, until Christmas was coming and they would have clashed with the holiday decorations. I still have them, I'm going to hang them in her new bedroom.

I hang a garland with lights for the holidays and my daughter and husband begged me to leave them up. Turning them on every morning over breakfast became part of their ritual. I finally took them down before Easter!

I'm in the same boat: it's just so festive and pretty! Though I will take down the birthday-specific messages, it takes a while to part with the other decor pieces.

I've found it's helpful to have a very specific home for party decor. In the past I've felt overwhelmed because I didn't know what to do with all that stuff. Now I have a box dedicated to lanterns, stringed lights, and garland, and part of a shelf for the disposable dishes and silverware.

For me it isn't the decor that's the problem as much as the dishes. Ugh!

I thought I was the only one! I had the tissue paper pom poms I hung for my birthday in October up until my daughter's birthday in April, when I had to take them down to make room for her decorations. Part of it was that I liked having them around, and the other part was that I don't have room to properly store them.
We are currently decoration free :( But I no longer have to explain to company that our actual decor doesn't always consist of party decorations.

We had a dinner party for my sister-in-law and her new husband who were expecting their first child. We created a banner that said "Congrats & Welcome".

The party was in mid-January.

Last week while eating breakfast and preparing for a graduation party/ housewarming, I studied the banner carefully. I had yet found the motivation to take it down and I convinced myself the banner worked for this party too. In May.

After 5 months I think this banner is just a permanent fixture in your house.

My vote is just to leave them up- why not celebrate everyday:) I even think leaving a photo booth up would be fun, ours is still standing- http://thecitycradle.com/homemade-photo-booth

It's so hard to take something down and leave just empty space. My father-in-law died in October in India and my husband put Tibetan prayer flags up all over the house. They clash terribly but I'm not about to take them down. I think we will have to have a party so we can replace them with something happy!

We also had a party a week ago, well, Sunday. And I was feeling sheepish about not taking down the Mickey Mouse crepe paper and pom-poms. But I have a seven-day old newborn. We did pop and discard the deflated balloons today so I am making progress, lol. I think the 2 yr old will love helping to tear down the paper but who knows when we'll really get to taking it all down.
We still had one pom-pom left from my baby shower 2 mos. ago when we decorated for this party. You all make me feel better. I thought I was the only one.