Comments on: Burning Question: Premature Decoration?

By: Mrs. Canada

Mrs. Canada — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:26:46 +0000

I started decorating on November 15th – the absolute earliest I have ever started. I actually really liked it because when December rolled around, I was already done decorating – I even had time to bake a few things for an early December party we were hosting and I wasn’t rushing to decorate, bake and shop all at the same time. I think I am going to do that again in the coming years. Ukrainian families also leave their tree up until after Christmas on Jan 7th (according to the Julian Calendar). Happy Holidays Everyone!!

By: wedding

wedding — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 20:08:18 +0000

I like decorating over the Thanksgiving weekend. It’s easier because we (usually) have a long weekend to focus on it and then we have a whole month or more (we can be slow to take things down). To enjoy it. I’m ok with stores setting up right after Halloween but not ok with homeowners doing it.

By: Alison

Alison — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:42:39 +0000

We (I) decorate the first weekend of December including putting up our tree. We leave everything decorated until the 12th day of Christmas which is January 6, Epiphany.

By: Kari

Kari — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:22:32 +0000

We usually put up the tree and decorations the first weekend in December (did them just last night). We have a fair number of ornaments (been collecting them over 33 years together) so tend to decorate the tree differently each year–this year it’s a whole collection of glass pine cones and some ornaments from my mom that are around 100 years old.

We tend to take down our tree either Christmas night or the day or two after. Our first year in TX, we got a fresh tree and it was ready to catch fire by Christmas so came down that night. We found that we were actually ready to clean up and begin the fresh start of cleaning and organizing–plus we are always on academic year schedules and it makes it easier to get refocused and begin class prep for the spring term. It’s a tradition that works for us.

By: Libby

Libby — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:22:14 +0000

In my perfect world, the xmas decorations would stay up all year ’round…I love them! But because I don’t live alone (and I don’t want people to think I’ve lost it), my husband and I put the decorations up the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving…even though I push for November 1st every year. We usually take them down at the end of January – we call them “winter” decorations to make this seem more acceptable :)

By: Debra

Debra — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 16:55:37 +0000

Ok here’s my take, I hate pumpkins outside of people’s homes after Thanksgiving, Christmas should be up after Thanksgiving. I have a long retail career and I have worked for stores that put holiday decor out in September(why?), doesn’t Hallmark put out their ornaments in July? As for the Christmas music, it usually starts after Thanksgiving although I heard it at the Gap and other stores before this year. I can tell you I have heard over the years in my career many versions of Santa Baby and all the others. It’s still hard for me to listen to the music sometimes as it brings back the memories of listening to the same songs over and over and over again.

By: Jess

Jess — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:26:28 +0000

I don’t know about official dates, but celebrating one holiday at a time is idea. The day after Thanksgiving go nuts! I love waiting until the first week of December to allow myself to get things put up from Thanksgiving and let the tree soak in water.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:47:25 +0000

My rule of thumb is the day after Thanksgiving… though I’ll admit this year I started the day before Thanksgiving, purely because work let us out at 12:30 that day and I wanted to do something productive with the extra time. I don’t like how immediately after Halloween people start getting Christmas crazed (don’t get me wrong, this is my FAVORITE time of year, I grew up with my grandparents owning a Christmas tree farm in Indiana…) But I hate how everyone just “forgets” Thanksgiving! It’s an important holiday too… and while I love Christmas, I try to remember to give Thanks in November & not start getting too Christmasy until after Thanksgiving is over. But you can bet the day after, my Christmas CDs are playing, and we are decorating like mad… all I did the day before was get things out, put the tree up (which is minor with how much I actually decorate!) and sort through the decorations and got rid of some old stuff b/c I had bought new…

By: Nicole RJ

Nicole RJ — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:28:53 +0000

I hate how early the stores start with the Christmas push! This year there were even some before Halloween! But October is waaay too early for even a Christmas nut like me!

We decorate near the beginning of December, just in time to have friends and family over for my birthday! And take down late December/early January depending on holiday travel plans.

By: Ashley T.

Ashley T. — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:13:26 +0000

I believe you should wait to put up decorations until the day after Thanksgiving. By putting decorations up before Thanksgiving, I think people and/or stores are overlooking an extremely important day: a day to be thankful for what you have. I feel Thanksgiving is quickly becoming the day to start Chrstimas shopping or the day to spend searching through ads for Black Friday, as well as a day to market merchandise for Christmas. None of that has anything to do with being thankful and the distractions only allow people to overlook what Thanksgiving is all about.