YES YES YES. I do. It's why I've had to simplify my decorating down to just a few favourite decorations - and every piece HAS to speak "light and love" to me or I feel that feeling of overload, suffocation, anxiety. It took me YEARS to recognize those feelings and to be able to do something about them. My Mom was the epitome of Christmas and our house was decorated from stem to stern, with nary a wall or corner left untouched. I thought that was the way it had to be. Once I realized how much the "clutter" (yes it's beautiful clutter, but still clutter) was disturbing my spirit, I made a conscious effort to simplify.

This year, we have the nativity scene set up on the TV stand (it's a massive piece of furniture) and then candles and a few beloved figurines surrounding the nativity, so that it looks like everything's focused on the nativity. That's my focus too. The only other decorations in the living room are the Christmas cards hanging on the door. It's not directly in my line of vision so it's not overwhelming.

Yes, I do understand. Oh so well. Like I said, I stifled it for most of my life, not understanding it or the "why" of it. Like you, I can't do Christmas without putting up SOME decorations, but I know now that for me simpler is better. And like you, the moment Christmas is over (which for us is December 30th when the last houseguests leave) it takes every ounce of willpower not to take everything down right away. I do leave the nativity set up with a few candles for much of January, but everything else is down NLT Jan 6, if not New Year's Day.

Decluttering and simplifying are part of the coping skills I've learned to develop to get myself through the oft-times overwhelming pace of Christmas week.