Obligated To Decorate For Seasons/Holidays?

[Southern Mama]

I know not everybody on here celebrates holidays, but even for seasonal decorations, as a provider do you feel more inclined to decorate? I normally only decorate for Halloween and Christmas, but now that I have started this business I feel like I should decorate for every. single. holiday. I guess I don't necessarily feel OBLIGATED, but I want our home to feel cheery and festive and homey for the little ones. I'm finding I'm actually having a lot of fun with it though! I spent close to 5 hours last night scouring the wonderful internet for holiday printables. I actually found some pretty cute stuff! ("Give Thanks" banner, art to print and frame) I have card stock and a laminator, so fortunately this new obsession doesn't cost too much. Also, Target has great things in their dollar section! What is your take on this? Were you already a big decorator?

The internet sure does make my curriculum planning soooo much easier as well! There are some great FREE online resources!

[coolconfidentme]

I'm not big on decorating my own home on holidays, let alone my child care home. It's 100% decorated for KIDS with smiley face curtains & kids (stick figures) painted on the walls, etc. Two years ago when my son was home on leave, he wrapped some lights on a faux palm tree in my great room. It's still there & I light it at Christmas in lieu of a tree. That's as good as it gets!!

[cheerfuldom]

I used to do a lot more decorating but havent been up to it lately. We do our front porch for the major holidays but the playroom is permanently decorated kid style. its just too much for me to keep up with holidays and I end up looking lame with 4th of july still up in Sept LOL I do a little bit here and there but mostly, i am just too busy with my three kids and a baby on the way to have the extra time or money to do more with the daycare room.

[littlemissmuffet]

My husband and I don't celebrate most holidays traditionally. We don't do Christmas (for us it's a day off to sleep all day!) but I do decorate for Christmas/winter because I think it looks beautiful... I love the colors, the lights, the warmth - it's nice and romantic on cold winter nights I don't use traditional colors or themes though...

We really only celebrate birthdays and Halloween, so we decorate for these as well.

Otherwise... I don't decorate for Easter, Thansgiving, etc. I don't feel obligated to either. It's not our thing and if parents expect that kind of thing we are not the daycare for them!

[countrymom]

well I just redid my daycare room and I did it with picture frames and made it more neutral. I use to decorate with stuff on the walls and none of the kids really cared. So I love my room now. I did buy a small tree for christmas so the kids can make decorations and hang them on the tree, I even bought fun lights (all bought at end of season)

[Sugar Magnolia]

I have jewish families, so we mostly do "winter" decorations. Being in Florida, these kids have very little concept of winter anyways.
I have lived in FL for 27 years. I grew up in rural Vermont. Christmas decorations in Florida are lame. Spray on "snow", inflatable snowmen, palm trees wrapped in lights.....all this in 80 degrees, still using mosquito repellent, green lawns. Some folks try the "tropical christmas" look....santa wearing hawaiian shirts, seashell ornaments....ugh, even WORSE than the fake snow. Baaa Humbug.

[Country Kids]

I have jewish families, so we mostly do "winter" decorations. Being in Florida, these kids have very little concept of winter anyways.
I have lived in FL for 27 years. I grew up in rural Vermont. Christmas decorations in Florida are lame. Spray on "snow", inflatable snowmen, palm trees wrapped in lights.....all this in 80 degrees, still using mosquito repellent, green lawns. Some folks try the "tropical christmas" look....santa wearing hawaiian shirts, seashell ornaments....ugh, even WORSE than the fake snow. Baaa Humbug.

Can I come visit! I need some warm and good laughs. Could take pictures with everything when I need a pick me up-

[Sugar Magnolia]

Can I come visit! I need some warm and good laughs. Could take pictures with everything when I need a pick me up-

Sure! Can I come visit? I need some cold and snow! And some christmas cheer, obviously!

[spud912]

I have jewish families, so we mostly do "winter" decorations. Being in Florida, these kids have very little concept of winter anyways.
I have lived in FL for 27 years. I grew up in rural Vermont. Christmas decorations in Florida are lame. Spray on "snow", inflatable snowmen, palm trees wrapped in lights.....all this in 80 degrees, still using mosquito repellent, green lawns. Some folks try the "tropical christmas" look....santa wearing hawaiian shirts, seashell ornaments....ugh, even WORSE than the fake snow. Baaa Humbug.

That's how it is here in Phoenix too! Luckfully, we can drive a couple hours north and get all the snow we could ask for! I'm from Colorado so I definitely miss the white Christmas! It's just not the same when it's 80 degrees out and everything is green! People try to get into the winter "spirit" here by wearing shorts with a scarf and furry boots. It's very silly looking in my opinion (hopefully nobody gets offended....sorry!).

I decorate when I feel motivated by what we're doing.

[Blackcat31]

I have jewish families, so we mostly do "winter" decorations. Being in Florida, these kids have very little concept of winter anyways.
I have lived in FL for 27 years. I grew up in rural Vermont. Christmas decorations in Florida are lame. Spray on "snow", inflatable snowmen, palm trees wrapped in lights.....all this in 80 degrees, still using mosquito repellent, green lawns. Some folks try the "tropical christmas" look....santa wearing hawaiian shirts, seashell ornaments....ugh, even WORSE than the fake snow. Baaa Humbug.

Sugar~ I feel ya!! If I could find a way to send you snow, I would do it in a heart beat....lord knows we get enough here! I can send you pictures if that helps

I always think lots of snow and the smell of pine trees when I think of Christmas...anything less is just not Christmas to me.

As far as decorating for the holidays, I have enough stuff to clean around that adding decorations to the mix is pointless IMPO. ::

Plus I have way to many parents who don't know how to tell Little Princess or Prince that they can't touch the pretty lights or ornatments...usually right after I spend the entire week teaching them that ONLY big people hands touch lights and ornaments ... so I stopped decorating.

If I did child care in my home, I might feel different but I am also the one who has the tree down and packed up before my kids are done opening presents so maybe not.

[crazydaycarelady]

It is nice to decorate but I don't think you are obligated.

A couple of years ago my son was in Afghanistan during the holidays and I just did not feel the spirit of the season, at all. I didn't do much decorating and really just wanted it all to be over with. I do decorate know but it is for myself and I enjoy it.

[Sugar Magnolia]

That's how it is here in Phoenix too! Luckfully, we can drive a couple hours north and get all the snow we could ask for! I'm from Colorado so I definitely miss the white Christmas! It's just not the same when it's 80 degrees out and everything is green! People try to get into the winter "spirit" here by wearing shorts with a scarf and furry boots. It's very silly looking in my opinion (hopefully nobody gets offended....sorry!).

I decorate when I feel motivated by what we're doing.

I'm in south florida, so a couple hours drive only gets me to Gainesville! :::: We did drive to Tennessee a couple years ago.....14 HOURS drive!! Funny, I mourn the lack of winter, but my butt was "freezing" at 66 degrees today.

[Sugar Magnolia]

Sugar~ I feel ya!! If I could find a way to send you snow, I would do it in a heart beat....lord knows we get enough here! I can send you pictures if that helps

I always think lots of snow and the smell of pine trees when I think of Christmas...anything less is just not Christmas to me.

As far as decorating for the holidays, I have enough stuff to clean around that adding decorations to the mix is pointless IMPO. ::

Plus I have way to many parents who don't know how to tell Little Princess or Prince that they can't touch the pretty lights or ornatments...usually right after I spend the entire week teaching them that ONLY big people hands touch lights and ornaments ... so I stopped decorating.

If I did child care in my home, I might feel different but I am also the one who has the tree down and packed up before my kids are done opening presents so maybe not.

I hear ya BC! I am quick to un-decorate too! My center is lightly winter decorated, like the week before christmas, down by new years. My house....we have a crazy, tiny dog that can jump 3 feet in the air, so only the top half of our tree gets decorated anyways. ::

[EntropyControlSpecialist]

Ehhh, a little bit here and there. But, not really.

I do love Christmas lights, though, so maybe I will have some hung up in the rooms.

[kitykids3]

I've always loved to decorate, especially for Christmas, my home and my daycare, until 3 yrs ago. Then a tragedy happened 3 Thanksgivings ago, and I lost someone I love, and then last Christmas I lost another loved one. I haven't felt like decorating or acknowledging the holiday season the last few years.
I love Easter/Spring so I decorate for that, and fall. I don't celebrate Halloween, so no decorations for that.
I do have a mini Christmas tree for the kiddos in the daycare, and force myself to put a tree up upstairs.
I don't feel obligated to decorate. I just love to. I like making things nice and cheerful for the kiddos.