The most wonderful time of the year is upon us, and with it, all the things we enjoy about the season: time with liked ones, fresh-baked cookies and sky-high trifles, nostalgic music, and garland-wrapped trees decked in cherished ornaments. However every year, in the middle of all this magic, there are a few Christmas designs that transform our sugar-plum dreams into something of a headache. Here, a few of our resident Southern Living Grinches grumble about the vacation decors that they enjoy to hate.
Decors that Get in the Way
We’re all for putting festive elements in unexpected locations, however don’t get so focused on the beautiful that you desert the practical. “Fake cotton snow on the cooking area island is not ideal for food prep,” states one discontented Southern Living editor. “Don’t cover a set of cabinets with a wreath so that you can’t open it. Ensure it’s beautiful and practical.”
Real Christmas Trees
Before you cancel your membership, let us state first that we enjoy to love real trees– ideally when they’re cut at the regional farm or acquired from a community organization that sells them as an annual fundraiser. We’ll admit that sometimes we likewise enjoy to hate our beloved Fraser firs due to the fact that they can be a real pain. “I have to vacuum up loose needles nearly daily, it needs more water than my front patio planters, and my pet attempts to climb it every other minute.
A faux-snow-covered tree is mesmerizing in the land of rare or little of the white stuff, however if you’ve ever tried to flock something yourself, you know that it can be a royally un-merry disaster. “I dislike gathered anything. It’s so messy,” gripes a snow-hating Southern Living staffer.
Christmas Villages (But Not for the Reason You Think).
The teeny tabletop scenes bring joy to many, however for the person unloading them, the experience can be as bleak as a check out from Christmas Future. Whimpers one Southern Living Christmas crab: “It takes like 90 hours to pull [all the pieces] out of the perfectly cut Styrofoam packaging.” It’s simply as fun, we imagine, to put them all back up.
Motion-Activated Holiday Characters.
They say you hate what you fear. Such is the case, at least, for one Southern Living editor who deplores dancing Saint Nicks: “No matter how many times I walk by them, they will terrify me each time.” If you’ve got folks in your household who terrify quickly, it may be time for you to reassess the animatronics too.
White Lights or Multi-Colored Lights, Depending on Your Preference.
There are couple of arguments that stir up rather so much debate in our office as that of white lights versus multi-colored lights. Wherever you land, we feel quite certain that the other team’s lights are a Christmas design you enjoy to hate too.
LED Light Projectors.
While we’re fans of LED bulbs themselves (they utilize less energy than their incandescent counterparts), we can’t get behind the projected screens that dance throughout home exteriors as an option to standard string lights. “Take your lazy design back to Lowe’s and get genuine lights,” advises a Southern Living sour puss. Call us old-fashioned, we suppose.
