Almost half say decorating is more about competition than holiday spirit – almost one-third want a ‘decoration vacation!’
While Americans love to deck the halls for the holidays, many say the stress of decorating can make them want to deck their spouses, neighbors and family instead! A new national survey, just released, reveals we enjoy decorating, but it can cause anxiety, friction and competition that can spoil the spirit of the season.
The survey, by UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage reveals:
More than 1 out of 3 stress out from holiday decorating (37%)
More than 1 out of 3 say the pressure to decorate takes away from the fun. (38%)
Almost one-half say holiday decorating is more about competition among neighbors than holiday spirit. (49%)
Almost one-quarter say there’s a must-see house in the neighborhood that attracts unwanted attention and traffic. (21%)
Almost one-third say they could use a break from decorating — a “Decoration Vacation!” (32%)
The online survey of 502 Americans (273 women, 229 men) reveals more than three-quarters (77%) decorate for two or more holidays a year with Christmas/ Hanukkah the leading decorating holidays. But almost one-quarter of the respondents (21%) say decorating can make the festivities fraught with family friction.
Of those who say it causes family friction:
43% say it’s because their partner wants to spend more on decorations than they do.
One-quarter say they feel pressure to do all the decorating. (25%)
Almost 1 out of 3 say the kids don’t help enough with holiday decorating (28%)
Christmas lights are the biggest decorating challenge as 37% find it frustrating to untangle them.
Nearly one-half say it takes an hour or longer to untangle lights. (45%)
13% say it can take half a day or more.
And while we love the holiday hoopla, it turns our homes into a decorating dumping ground.
Nearly three-quarters of those stressed by decorating say the biggest burden is taking down the decorations and storing them. (73%)
One-third say they have too many holiday decorations and 32% have more than they can manage.
Almost one-half say storing awkwardly shaped decorations is the biggest challenge, with Christmas trees the most difficult to store. (47%)
42% say they don’t have enough room for decorations with one-third saying decorations take up too much space in their homes.
“Holiday decorating should be joyful, but we have seen it cause too much unnecessary stress especially because people have no place to store their decorations or don’t know how to pack them properly,” says Michael McAlhany, CEO and founder of UNITS Moving and Portable Storage, a nationwide franchise with local storage experts in our area “We have created UNITS Holiday Storage Hacks for creative ways to store decorations. We can also free up space in your closets, garage and attics by storing decorations in our containers we bring to your house and take back to our warehouse.”
UNITS Moving and Portable Storage Holiday Decoration Storage Hacks
Store Christmas ornaments in egg cartons
For large ornaments, consider gluing plastic cups to cardboard to make a storage rack
Stack rolls of wrapping paper in garment bags, shoe racks or a wastebasket
Use take-out containers for ribbons and bows
Stuff cords in paper towel holders and label with gift labels
Wrap lights around pieces of cardboard
Store wreaths on hangers in a closet
Use old stockings to protect christmas candles.
Repurpose old linens to safely store nativity scenes or Christmas villages
Consider using magazine racks to organize holiday gift bags
– UNITS® Moving and Portable Storage
