w8ting - I did not mean to set you off! The good thing about the passage of time is the knowledge that the low moments DO pass.
As to the decorating. Your girls will take their cue from you - as you know. If you are matter of fact that it is going to be different, but that it is going to be fun they will go along with that. You might all be faking it at times, but a collective fake can be good!
For example - my h never liked games, and so we didn't play them much. But we do like them, so we have got lots of games, and play them at Christmas. In fact my h didn't like Christmas much. He always said it was the commercialisation, but really I think his childhood Christmases were not much fun. Looking back, I always made Christmas 'happen'. I did try and bring him along, and I did scale back to what he wanted, but there was always a slight gloom lurking, and a point at which he would go off into another room, and sit . . .
Anyway, you will be fine, if sad at times. Sad is normal.
