The first of December was when the Advent Calendar went up, the nativity, wreaths on the door etc. The real tree didn't go up until a week before Christmas so it wouldn't dry out.
This year I'm thinking of decorating the Sunday before Thanksgiving just to beat my daughter.
I like to leave Some of Christmas up through the dark days of January.
Many people decorate for Christmas in a much more extravagant and time consuming way than in generations past. For many people, Thanksgiving is no longer a celebration of harvest (most of us aren't connected to agriculture), but a time of thankful celebration with family and friends that kicks off the Christmas season. You don't have to like or even agree with that idea, but I think that a rational explanation of why Christmas decorations go up earlier and earlier.
Thanksgiving is late this year. Those who wait until after Thanksgiving will have a shorter period of time to enjoy the decorations. My experience is that early decorators are also early removers. When I first moved to NC, I was shocked by how early trees went up and even more surprised to see them sitting on the curb the day after Christmas! Where I grew up, the trees came down either on New Year's Day or January 6 (Epiphany).
This is my off year for family. That means the Thanksgiving whole family get-together is the weekend after the official holiday. I plan to have my Christmas decorations up the beginning of Thanksgiving week, although I probably won't light any lights until Thanksgiving Day.
I always decorate the day after Thanksgiving.
If we’re going to be gone for Thanksgiving I decorate before we leave. I leave them up i until New Years.
Winter came early this year. We've already had 1 snow day and 1 early release. I'm tempted to start early this year and start putting up my white lights/garland. Not the tree...
My living room is so pretty with the decorations I put up. It's the only time of year I actually LIKE my living room!
All that to say, yep...this year I may start early! As for taking them down, they are sometimes still up until the end of January (see above). The year I got sick and ended up in the hospital during the holidays, they were up until March! . They bring me joy/harmony.
My teammate was blasting Christmas music at work yesterday morning. I told her to turn that nonsense off! I know a lot of people who consider November 1st the appropriate time to start Christmas stuff.
I personally wait until after Thanksgiving, but I do like when Thanksgiving is earlier, like last year, so there is more time to enjoy the decorations. I have a few seasonal/fall things out now, but Christmas is the only time I really go all out with decorations.
I honestly would put them up earlier, but I go out of town for an entire week of Thanksgiving and my cat is left here in the house (with a pet sitter who visits). I don't want to give him extra stuff to mess up when he gets bored/lonely. He does okay with the tree (mine is pretty small) but it seems silly to put it up and then leave.
Usually I wait until around Thanksgiving. Every other year my niece is here for Thanksgiving instead of Christmas, so we celebrate Christmas then with her.
I'm not opposed to putting them up now. I enjoy them after DST ends since it gets dark so early. Even more so this year since we got a bunch of snow on Halloween. I say once we get a snow that needs to be shoveled, the decorations can go up.
We always wait until the Sunday after Thanksgiving. That is when we get back from my parents house. My DH always asks us to wait, but the children and I love to get things out.
This year we might just set up the tree before we leave for Thanksgiving and put up everything else when we get back.
I love Christmas too! I start planning and buying way before Thanksgiving. I already bought my 90% of my gifts, bought the gift wrap, and bought my new decorations. However, everything is in my basement in boxes. I will bring them out Thanksgiving weekend. I spend Black Friday early morning finishing up shopping. I come home and wrap everything. Then it's time to deck the halls. I love getting the decorations up early. However, every speck of Christmas is gone from my house on New Year's Day. I can't imagine going back to work and still having the decorations up.
Don't rush time, it already goes fast as it is, ha!
I started looking around for restaurants to see if I wanted to book reservations for a TG buffet this year. Did it once when the price was at a nice $25 per person.
I'd love to go to Disneyland's hotel dinner buffet for TG one year...won't be this year though at $180 per person!
Re: Christmas, I like having the tree and decorations up for at least a full month!
Our tree goes up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It comes down on New Years Day. I miss the excitement of starting the Christmas season the day after Thanksgiving. I love Christmas, but preparing gets earlier and earlier every year.
My Christmas spirit definitely changed after my kids grew up. No one wants to help decorate (or clean up) so I don't even feel like doing anything. I took a 3 foot tree out of the closet last year and stuck it on top the coffee table the week of Christmas. No decorations other than the one little battery operated lights that I found with it.
This year will probably do the same thing. Maybe I will bring our tree back from CO, since both my kids work through the holiday with only the day of off. Eh, I don't even care enough to do that.
Definitely never did any Christmas stuff before Thanksgiving. I didn't put my tree up until December. Usually was ready to take it down right after the actual day.
That way I can enjoy the holidays. I'm finishing up shopping this weekend. I bought a few new decorations yesterday. I'm waiting for my gift wrap to be delivered from my granddaughter. (I bought it through a school fundraiser.) I'll have most of my presents wrapped and ready to go under the tree when I put it up on Thanksgiving weekend.
We start after Thanksgiving, usually. I like celebrating one holiday at a time. I am a do what makes you happy person, so I have no issues with other people starting early, and who knows what we'll do this year. TBH, I see most of my decorations as clutter, haha! I do enjoy our tree, because of the ornaments and where they all came from( kids' crafts, trips, parents, ornament exchange , etc.)
I love decorating the day after Thanksgiving, although with my kids' work schedules the past few years, we end up decorating Thanksgiving night. That works, too!
I don't mind people decorating before Thanksgiving, but I personally prefer one holiday at a time. With a tree up, I think Thanksgiving would feel more like Christmas dinner - and that's a whole other event.
I'm fine with it until everyone is so sick of Christmas they take everything down before the 12 days of Christmas are over! We can't even find Christmas music on the radio. It' s like the song should go "on the second day of Christmas.... everyone took down their trees and turned off the music."
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11-02-2019, 03:50 PM
My cousin just posted pictures of her tree she put up today. I think I'm going to have to block her for a month
. They bring me joy/harmony.
, etc.)
