When do you do xmas decorations/tree?

[luuknam]

Since we all need to know when to put up the decorations and trees (apparently, based on another thread).

[Chris in VA]

We try to delay a bit, as we observe Advent. Plus we keep our tree up until after Jan 6th, so it would be too dry if we got it right after TGiving.

[Night Elf]

I go by my mood. If I'm looking forward to Christmas, I'll generally put it up around Dec. 5. For the years I'm not looking forward to Christmas, like this year, I'll put it up during the second week of December. This year, I'll see when the kids want the tree up. If they want it up early, I'll accommodate them. But if they don't care, then I'll put it up much later.

[JustEm]

Normally, we wait to decorate until after st nicholas day. We didn't do decorations the year my oldest was born though. He was due Dec 29th. We got our tree, which had a root bulb so we could replant, on December 17th. And propped it up leaning against the corner of the wall. We were going to decorate it later that week. I ended up being induced the next day and had ds on the 19th.

[abba12]

We don't have thanksgiving to lead into Christmas in Australia, obviously. We always put ours up on Dec 1st. My husband even books a vacation day Dec 1st to do it with us, it's a very special family tradition for us. 

[kirstenhill]

I voted first week in December, but some years it is a bit earlier. We often travel for most of the week after Christmas, so I never have time to take it down until Jan. 1st or a bit later. I have taken down the tree on New Years Day many times. And I never skip. Even the year we were moving in the first week in December and the year my husband had broken multiple bones in his leg/ankle (so I had to figure out how to haul the heavy tree up from the basement alone and get it set up), we still decorated. It wouldn't be Christmas to me without a tree.

[Arctic Bunny]

Some time between the day after Remembrance Day and Dec 1, ideally.

[cjzimmer1]

My tree goes up December 15 or earlier.  I have a DD whose birthday is that day and she absolutely insists on having the tree up for her birthday.  Before she was around it was usually Christmas Eve before I got around to it.

[Jenny in Florida]

Traditionally, we start putting up some small inside decorations just after Thanksgiving if anyone feels like doing so. My daughter's birthday is in mid-December, and when she was little we decided to delay putting up the tree and really doing up the house until after her birthday so that her day didn't get subsumed into the general holiday madness. Once or twice, she has been really into Christmas and asked if we could put up the tree a bit earlier, but usually it's the end of the second week/beginning of the third.

 

There have been a couple of years when we were super busy and ran even later.

 

Last year was the first after she moved out on her own and my son was living on campus. We pondered whether we should go ahead and do the tree earlier, but, because it was the first year the kids weren't home for the season, neither my husband nor I really felt all that festive. I think we put up the tree the first weekend my son was home for break, but no other decor went up until just a few days before Christmas. I finally ended up staying up late one night by myself and more or less throwing decorations all over the living room.

 

This year, no one had the urge to put up anything Thanksgiving weekend. My son's semester ends on the 18th, and my daughter won't be home until possibly as late as Christmas eve day. So, we'll see how it goes.

[Mimm]

I always do it the weekend after Thanksgiving but this year I did the weekend before. I'm always exhausted after Thanksgiving and this year I traveled out of town so it was great to come home to the tree already done. I might have to do this in the future as well. :)

 

I know no one voted that they keep them up year round (so far!) but I know someone whose mom has like 12 Christmas trees that she has up during the Christmas season and several of them stay up year round. Crazy huh?? (She's not involved in any kind of Christmas related business or anything.)

[luuknam]

I know no one voted that they keep them up year round (so far!) but I know someone whose mom has like 12 Christmas trees that she has up during the Christmas season and several of them stay up year round. Crazy huh?? (She's not involved in any kind of Christmas related business or anything.)

 

I think I saw an episode of Hoarders once where someone had their living room (home?) full of xmas stuff year round. Otherwise, the thought of someone keeping the tree year-round may or may not have occurred to me.

[Cinder]

Traditionally dh's family put up the tree on Christmas eve and we continued this tradition after we got married. Then as the dc got older they wanted a longer Christmas season so we started around mid-Dec. This year is our earliest ever ever ever. We've never had our Christmas tree up in Nov until this year--we got it the day after Thanksgiving. Last year we went to our usual tree farm and it had already closed for the season by the second weekend of Dec because they were already out of trees! It was so disappointing to have to go to one of those tree lots and choose a pre-cut one. So we swore that this year we'd go right after Thanksgiving, and that's what we did.

 

We had only a couple years when we didn't do any Christmas decorating. Those were early in our marriage when dh was deployed with his military unit through all of Dec.

[jjeepa]

We usually get our tree on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and set it up that evening. Thanksgiving morning, we put on the lights and pull out all the tree and house decorations. Then, over the Thanksgiving weekend whenever we are all together and have time, we decorate the tree and the house. Since it's spread out over several days, it feels very low-key. We like having the creche out and the house decorated during Advent.

 

We do leave the tree up through Jan 1, which probably wouldn't work if my husband wasn't such a dedicated tree-waterer! One year, we did have a tree dry up very quickly and had to replace it the week before Christmas. That was a pain, but we just pared down the lights and ornaments. It was fine.

Edited December 1, 2015 by jjeepa

[ScoutTN]

I do some decorating for Advent, which can begin the Sunday after Thanksgiving or the next Sunday.

 

We put up our tree about two weeks before Christmas. Real tree and it takes up a lot of space in my living room. I enjoy it, but wouldn't want to live with it for a month or more.

 

I grew up in a "high church" Episcopal family. We decorated with an advent wreath and calendars and few other items for Advent, but the tree went up Christmas Eve and stayed up for the twelve days of Christmas, until Epiphany. We often had a party on twelfth night. We put up our stockings after "midnight" (sometimes just late evening, sometimes timed to end right about midnight) worship service and a party at the rectory (yummy food and big fun!) on Christmas Eve.

 

I love Thanksgiving and refuse to allow Christmas to encroach upon it!

Edited December 1, 2015 by ScoutTN

[barnwife]

I try to avoid decorating until we begin the O Antiphons (Dec. 17). That's one of my ways to stress the importance of the Advent season to our kids (We are Catholic.).

Therefore, we also keep the decorations out until Epiphany (Jan. 6). So we start taking them down on the evening of Jan. 6 or within the next couple days.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

We do it around the 15th of Dec.  If we do it much earlier, it seems to lose its magic long before Christmas.  Kids get bored and forget to turn on the lights, all the chocolate kisses are gone from the Kissletoe tree, etc.

 

[Ellie]

Usually Thanksgiving weekend, because once our big Christmas production, which was always the weekend immediately preceding Christmas, kept us busy until the 23rd. Forever after we have decoratd Thanksgiving weekend.

 

Twice we moved in December, so no tree those two years.

[Carol in Cal.]

We have an Advent wreath and a lot of Christmas decorations that go up early in December.

Then we usually get the tree into the house the weekend before Christmas, and put the ornaments on it as part of our Christmas Eve celebration.  It stays up at least through Twelfth Night (January 6, Epiphany).  We also save one present for that day.

[shawthorne44]

I have skipped the tree, but I voted Never to the last question.  I have this amazing Nativity set.  The people are just that Italian unbreakable stuff everyone has (still looks pretty though).   But the building is a priceless treasure.  My grandfather made it using apple limbs that were precisely the same size.   That has gone up every year.  A credenza to set it on is even essential furniture.

 

DD has inherited the Christmas decorating gene, so I see mucho over-the-top decorations in my future.  

 

eta:  Dad always had a rule "Not before Thanksgiving".  So mom and I would decorate that weekend when I was young.  

Edited December 1, 2015 by shawthorne44

[happi duck]

We cut down a tree and keep it watered so that we can keep it from around December 1-January 6+.

 

The tree is one of my favorite traditions! We go on an outing together to cut it, we work together on decorating and our ornaments hold special meaning.

[Word Nerd]

It varies from year to year. I may get the Christmas things out next weekend, but it depends, as we have other activities going on Saturday and Sunday.

[HS Mom in NC]

Second week of December to the end of December. Two weeks of full on Christmas is enough for me. We've never gone treeless.

We do advent kinds of activities the starting today, Dec 1st.

[Loowit]

Usually I do not do anything until after Thanksgiving.  Traditionally we put up the lights on our house the Saturday after Thanksgiving, because it is the last free weekend for us usually.  This year DH injured his ankle, so DD put up the lights.  The tree goes up whenever we get around it doing it, but I like it to be at least 2 weeks before Christmas.  This year we are going to be going this weekend on Sunday to get one.  The Christmas village went up early this year, a couple days before Thanksgiving because it is when I had time and the kids really wanted it up.  Everything else goes up as I get the mood to do it.  Last year I was really struggling with depression around Christmas and had a hard time doing any decorating, but the kids really wanted stuff done and helped out a lot.

[MomtoCandJ]

Well usually it would have been done this pass Sunday (tradition we started after dd1 was born) but I'm studying for exams and didn't get that far, I might decide to do this Saturday though. We have missed a couple of times before dd1 was born.

Edited December 1, 2015 by MomtoCandJ

[Lady Marmalade]

Not quite enough poll options.

 

A few years ago the only decorations we managed to get out were the Christmas trees.  We have a ton of other stuff, but that year we only had a few hours mid-December to do decorate, so we did the trees and called it good.

 

So since then, we've purposely looked at the calendar and determined when we're going to be able to get our decorating done.  Last year we had to do it the weekend before Thanksgiving, otherwise it wasn't happening at all.  This year we did the decorating Thanksgiving Day after watching the Macy's parade.  We celebrated Thanksgiving on Saturday so had the day free to do so.

 

We used to wait until after our Thanksgiving celebration, and watch Christmas Vacation the evening we did the decorating.  Now with so many activities going on, we have to look ahead or it might never get done. 

[myfunnybunch]

I didn't answer the poll, because it varies from year to year.

 

Typically, I put the decorations up Thanksgiving weekend sometime, and that's fairly consistent. We get a live tree, though. Some years we decide to get it really early (which means it dries out by Christmastime), and some years, we decide to wait (which means we don't get to enjoy it for as long).

 

I've never not decorated for Christmas.

[foxbridgeacademy]

Tree always goes up on December 1st, except when it doesn't (money, time, moving, fatigue).  DD is very insistent this year that we go today to get a tree. Latest was probably the 5th.  It always comes down on Jan 1st though, I hate winter and the tree just reminds me of all the cold. I've only skipped decorations when I was single, I'm not particularly fond of Christmas but I make sure to do my best for the kids.

 

*I like Summer and Fall holidays like 4th of July and Halloween.

[4ofus]

We kind of just evaluate what our weekends look like between Thanksgiving & Christmas & pick the one that has space. This year it happened to be the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Last year I think it was the weekend before Christmas. 

 

A few years ago we downsized to a modest 6' prelit tree ($30ish). It has been great. We get it up & decorated before anyone is "over it". We play A Christmas Story & Elf while we decorate & when those two movies are done, so are we. Away go the crates. Anything that isn't out doesn't go out that year.

 

~4 hours is how long decorating lasts at this house :).

Edited December 1, 2015 by 4ofus

[alisoncooks]

We used to decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving (that's how my family of origin did it).  But we travel out of state for Thanksgiving, so that means the weekend after Thanksgiving is laundry and decompressing a bit and laying around.  No one wants to decorate.

 

So the past 3-4 years, we started decorating a week or two before Thanksgiving (we have an artificial tree).  We enjoy it -- we aren't pressed for time or stressed.  Then the house is ready and pretty when we get home from our Thanksgiving travels, and we enjoy it until Christmas.  (We also travel for Christmas, so it's nice to enjoy it a bit longer before we leave.)

 

[vonfirmath]

We put up the Christmas tree sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas -- yes that might mean Dec 23 or 24 if it hasn't gone up before.

 

We skipped the tree many years before we had kids. Esp when I was single. And when my son was age 1. ANd when we are not going to be in town for Christmas Day

 

The tree usually comes down in January sometime. Last year I got it down the week after Christmas so I didn't have it hanging over my head to do.

Edited December 1, 2015 by vonfirmath

[Tap]

Decorating starts Thanksgiving weekend, but continues until the holiday.

 

When dd9, was in a very destructive phase, we put up our tree on Christmas Eve, and took it down 12 hours later. We have never skipped decorating completely, but it felt like it when it was only up for 12 hours.

[Mommy22alyns]

Never, ever, ever until after Thanksgiving.  We usually take them down early January.  We've never skipped them, although DH and I have felt like it some years.

[fourcatmom]

Up until a few years ago we waited until after the 17th of December because or dds birthday. I always thought it was better to wait so that she felt like she had a birthday before we started Christmas. She told me a few years ago that she likes the tree up on her birthday and that she shes her birthday as part of Christmas so we started putting it up on Black Friday. I was always bummed that I couldn't go shopping so we started the tradition of decorating that day which helped me focus on what really mattered and not that I didn't have money. This year we put it up on Thanksgiving day. That was a first and earlier then we have ever done. We happened to be home this year and it was a quiet day and the girls asked while dinner was cooking if they could put it up. So we did. But, i will say that we had been out shopping on that Tuesday where we bought a new tree and some new ornaments so the box was in the living room waiting as opposed to me having to bring it out from the closet as we normally would. I do think that made a difference in how early we did it but we will see. I kind of like the idea that maybe after they leave home and are home for Thanksgiving that they help decorate the tree before they leave. So maybe that will be our new tradition. :D

 

I am one of those that wants it gone after Christmas though. I think a few times it has made it until New Years Eve but not many.

Edited December 1, 2015 by fourcatmom

[Rosie_0801]

Last year was the first year we had a Christmas tree. I'll order for the last delivery from the local shop, which is about Dec 15. Then it comes down New Years Eve at the latest.

[sassenach]

We moved on December 23rd one year and still went out and got a Christmas tree. It was the driest tree you've ever seen and we put it on the curb on the 26th because I was afraid it was going to catch fire. But hey, we still had a tree!

 

Most years we have put it up the first week of December. This year we got our earliest ever tree the day after Thanksgiving. Dd was flying back to school that night and we wanted to get it up before she left.

[PeacefulChaos]

Oops, I messed up.

 

When it said 'latest ever' i thought that meant taking them down for some reason, even though when I first looked at it I knew that wasn't the case.  Then I promptly forgot?  :lol:

 

 

We always put ours up the day after Thanksgiving, or that weekend.  Two years ago I didn't put anything up at all, because I didn't get it done before musical time, which takes us out of the house at all hours for two weeks straight, and by the 3rd week of December it felt pointless to put stuff up for two weeks only to take it back down.  So I didn't do anything at all.

[Farrar]

The only time I ever skipped was a year when the kids were babies and we were going to my mom's. But even then we did a potted tree so I picked never.

 

When I was a kid, one year we were SO broke and my mother called off Christmas and we didn't end up with a tree until two days before Christmas, which was when we got a mystery check. My mom still doesn't know who financed our Christmas that year. I still get a little choked up when I think about it. In those broke years, she would often wait until Christmas Eve and then go bargain hard with the tree sellers. I remember her angrily telling a guy on the Christmas tree lot he'd be lucky to get what she was offering at that point and starting to shove us, looking so disappointed, into the car, at which point the guy caved and we got the tree after all.

[dtsmamtj]

With that said, we have never had a Christmas tree to decorate in our 24 years of marriage - to expensive for me. We decorate with other items (Nativity scene, wreath, etc.).

 

When younger, I too remember times when a free tree top was all we had to decorate growing up.

[Tsuga]

I once dragged a tree in my carry-on luggage for an international move so we'd have a tree at our new home in Germany. Obviously it was a plastic tree. $3 from Goodwill. Don't tell me that's too expensive! :D

 

That said I don't do it until later--second week of December, and I take down the decorations right away, right after New Years at the absolute latest.

[Carrie12345]

Dh is a Christmas fanatic.  I enjoy all of the decorations, but in a very short window of time.  Neither of us enjoys compromising in this area.

 

We did most of our decorations except actual tree ornaments on November 29th this year, but only because dh's travel schedule hadn't been set yet and he wanted to make sure he was here for it and would be coming home to a decorated house.

 

After my youngest was born, I tried to push decorating until after his birthday (18th) and it did not go over well. It's almost always the very beginning of December.

 

I'm a big fan of undecorating.  It makes my house feel clean and decluttered and MINE after weeks and weeks of trinkets and sparkles and bright colors.

[Guest]

This year I got the bug early and had them done a week before thanksgiving, but usually I don't do them until the weekend following.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Arctic Mama

[creekland]

When the boys were home we'd always decorate the tree and inside the house the first week in Dec and take things down Jan 1st.

 

Now we wait for the boys to come home from college, so tree decorating will happen Dec 22nd.  House decorating might come sooner since that's my job.  Hubby and the boys do the tree.  We never decorate outside the house.  We live rural and there's really no point as few would see it.

 

We also have a living tree and plant it outside afterward.  Most have survived.  More importantly our first one survived and is planted out in a field behind our house.  I absolutely love looking at how majestic that tree is now - it brings back so many nostalgic memories (not just Christmas).

 

We also get one new ornament for our tree each year and try to make it significant to something that happened that year.  It's some terrific reminiscing for all of us.

 

I'm not fond of Christmas shopping (we don't do much) or Christmas cards (love reading them when notes/letters are included, not so fond of getting ours ready to go), but I love Christmas itself - the family time, food, and reminiscing.

[Wheres Toto]

We have a fake tree due to allergies, so no worries about how long it will live.

 

We usually put it up the weekend right after Thanksgiving and take it down before New Years (while we are off work between Christmas and New Years).  This year we aren't putting it up for another week or so.  Partially because we have a new puppy and we have to figure out how we're going to arrange things for the least damage possibilities (he likes to eat plastic), partially because the kids teacher is on vacation for the next two weeks so I'm going to be home and I'm hoping to get a bunch of cleaning and reorganizing done.  We'll probably put up the stockings and smaller decorations a bit before the tree.

 

So far I've put the lids and holders on my jar candles and the kids Playmobil Advent calendars are sitting on the mantel.   No other decorations are up yet.

 

If we had the space, I would definitely have a tree up all year.  I'd let the kids decorate it for every holiday. :thumbup1:

[PrincessMommy]

Usually between the 2nd and 3rd week.   I perfer around 6-13 but sometimes weather and/or life happens and we don't get to it until later.  

 

I'm not a big Christmas decorations person and i like to take my tree down on New Years Day.  We've done that for years and even though we now celebrate Epiphany/Theophany i just can't wait that long to get the tree out of the house. 

[IsabelC]

These days we usually go for December 22, as we'd be celebrating Solstice/Litha on the 21st and put the Xmas tree and/or nativity display out after that. (If we didn't celebrate anything else in December, I'd pick December 1st for an artificial tree / potted tree, or later in the month for a cut tree.) I never celebrated '12 days' or Ephiphany even as a kid, so the tree traditionally comes down on New Year's Eve as part of new year cleaning.

[HRAAB]

For a few years I waited until Gaudette Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent), but the family didn't like waiting so long.  Now we start decorating after Thanksgiving, at least by the first week of December.  We don't put everything up all at once but get the trees up.  Dh does the lights so that is usually a week later.  Everything stays up until Jan. 6th.  We enjoy our Christmas decorations.

[Guest]

I have never skipped it, but this year, I was thinking there is a distinct possibility of my doing so when kids no longer live here. I can definitely imagine a future not terribly far away in which we have only a three foot tree to hang the most special/sentimental decorations, but no other decoration in the house. (Probably will keep having stockings, because it's fun.) while I was putting my candle lights in the windows this year, I strongly began to feel this is a pointless exercise. I put up only a few in my lower-level windows. Those in the upstairs windows are a pointless waste, because nobody sleeps with them plugged in (too bright); we also live in the woods so the front of our house is not really on display unless we are hosting a party.

[Alice]

I like to have all the decorations up for Advent, including the tree. I know that doesn't really go along with the idea of the Advent season of preparation but it works for us. I put them all up for the first Sunday of Advent, so usually the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I like to have them all down before New Year's, so usually on the 30th or 31st. I really like to start the New Year with a home that feels cleaner and more spare after all the decorations are down (which makes it sound like we have a lot of decoration, we don't really have very many)

[MaeFlowers]

Every year is different but I try to put ours up the weekend after Thanksgiving. We were out of town this year and put ours up today. DD was so excited because we bought a new tree this year. The Charlie Brown one we have had for a few years was just getting depressing.

[RoughCollie]

My mother is German, so when I grew up, the tree was decorated on Christmas Eve.  I still prefer that, but I'm outvoted by my family.  This year the kids put the tree up the day after Thanksgiving.  I protested, but I fell asleep on the couch, and when I woke up, it was a done deal!