Christmas Decorations

No, no, no... too early.

I'm one that doesn't want the summer to end, wants to enjoy Halloween and Thanksgiving, and rolls my eyes at holiday commercials and movies now... Lol! I try my best to ignore all that goes on around me. With that said though, that is me... So....

As long as those decorations make YOU happy, you put them up!

 

I happily turned over control of holiday decorating to my daughters as soon as they expressed interest a few years ago. And my second daughter is adamant about only decorating in the month of the holiday. Halloween decorations went up October 1 at midnight (she had a slumber party and they counted down to midnight before they began decorating ) and then she was planning to take them down immediately after the Halloween festivities (same friends stayed that night too) but I think she was feeling overwhelmed and she actually slept that night. (Unusual to sleep at a sleepover, you know!) I decided to take them down for her on Thursday while she was attending her drama club auditions for 5 hours, as she is student director this year.

We don't have much decor for simply autumn nor Thanksgiving, so I'm enjoying no decor at the moment. But I expect on November 30 or December 1, Caroline will drag up the Christmas decor boxes, including the fake tree we've been using most years since 2002. Unless I decide to get a real tree this year. I hadn't thought that far ahead yet.

 

@bbymks5 We don't do anything with the tree and all untill after Thanksgiving. Hubby thinks 5 weeks is enough (Day after Thanksgiving until Jan5.) I agree though with what Jenn says.. if it makes you happy then put them up. In 2015 when we were in the UK it was this time and after halloween, it was Christmas everywhere.. Scotland, Liverpool etc. They have Christmas after Halloween & Bonfire day so if you want to put up Christmas now, do it and say you are english

 

Our tree never goes up until after Thanksgiving. Growing up we had to wait until the first Saturday in December for some reason. I'm a one holiday at a time person... plus we're always going so many different directions that Thanksgiving weekend is one of the few times we're all together to make decorating a family event.

 

I don't decorate at all. No reason to since I just wish the holiday would go away (it has never been a favorite since my mother died in 1996). The only thing I will do is put out a nativity (the reason for the season after all) and the "missing you" scene of 2 empty chairs and 3 dog beds I made last year after my father passed away.

This season is when my SAD is its worst. Once New Year's is over, my depression lifts.

 

I think my hesitance really started after my oldest was born. He was due Christmas Day... came 3 weeks early. We celebrate his birthday and then the following weekend the tree goes up and decorations come out. I think that started my whole let's celebrate each holiday and then move onto the next. So, it transferred to actual holidays after he was born!

 

Hugs to you, Rene @HavaDrPepper

 

my son's birthday is on the 3rd Dec, so we don't do anything Christmassy until a couple of days afterwards to make a distinction.

 

My mom was getting her Christmas stuff pulled out when I was there November 2.
The rule in our house growing up was not until after Thanksgiving. Well, we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving so for my mom that means anytime after October! We usually wait until after Halloween. We've had a tradition of decorating the tree on Black Friday instead of shopping. But dh works this year, so it might be up earlier. .

 

I don't know if that makes it easier? My son's friend has a Dec. 28 birthday. And her mom hates it. Any presents feel like forgotten Christmas presents or like she's trying to divide her Christmas list between the two - according to her.

 

Much Too Soon ...but as with most things ymmv. Are you one of those who turns the Christmas tree into a Valentines one, then an Easter one etc?

I have had two bins of Halloween/Thanksgiving decorations - mainly Halloween - but last year and this year my goal was to get it down to one plastic bin. I think I'm almost there. I have taken all the Halloween stuff down, making what's left look like Thanksgiving. No one's coming over this year, so I will ask dh to bring the Christmas bins down the weekend after T-day. He'll gripe but he'll do it and while he's in FL I can sort and purge the Christmas stuff and put out what I like. The day he comes back, I go to Boston in December so we really don't have much time in our house together that month. Accordingly, decorations will be minimal this year

 

We are a “decorate the day after Thanksgiving” family. Perhaps because we do a real tree and it won’t really last any longer.

Our good friends have had their trees up since the day after Halloween. To me, it just feels like you are skipping autumn and Thanksgiving.

Now, Christmas is hands down my favorite, I just want to enjoy Thanksgiving, too.

 

@bbymks5

I understand about losing a parent around the holidays. My mother passed on 12/26/96. Another reason the holiday is very hard for me since she was my best friend.

Go to pinterest and search for "Christmas in Heaven" and a lot of pins should come up with a poem about the person absent from your life. I bought doll furniture... 2 chairs and 3 dog beds. I have a small counted cross stitch piece that looks like a rug for a doll house that I sit these on with the poem and a small tree with presents under it. The 2 chairs reflect my parents and the 3 dog beds are for the 3 dogs I have had in my life. They were my family (have no siblings, spouse or children). It was comforting last year to see these everyday knowing that they are still with me in spirit.

 

It was last weekend.. I think it is always Nov 5... Kate Hadfield has a kit for it https://the-lilypad.com/store/Bonfire-Night.html It is sort of like Independence Day for Great Britain.

 

Oh, hugs to all who are hurting this time of year. I so know how you feel as we lost my Dad the Monday before Thanksgiving in 1995. This year will be 22 years and on top of that everything falls on the same days and dates as it did in 1995. So it's especially tender for me right now. My Mom and Dad lived in our home at that time. And we lost my Mom the following June. 6 1/2 months later. My sisters and I all tend to feel some depression starting in the fall months and we think it's because of this loss in our lives.

My Dad played Santa for a good 17 years before his passing. I was privileged to be able to help him on some of his Santa adventures. When he was young there were some years where his Mom could give them a present for Christmas or a tree. He and his siblings always picked the tree. And Dad felt very strongly that everyone needed to have a tree. If he ever heard of anyone who wasn't going to be able to have one he made sure a tree showed up on their doorstep.

So! With all that said....I'm a Christmas person. I also love Thanksgiving. To me those two holidays just blend together. One wonderful, glorious time of year. I'm known to leave my tree up all year and change the decorations out for the seasons. People think I'm crazy. But the atmosphere in my home is warm and cozy all year with that tree up. We never turn the lights off. They are on 24/7 all year long. White twinkle lights unless we do blue or orange for the other decorating themes. It's been up for three years now. And before that we left it up for two years one time. I decorate for spring and the patriotic months after the Christmas season is over. And come August or the first part of September when my excitement for the holidays hits me hard we switch it out for fall. Lots of orange and golden colored autumn flowers and autumn leaf garland. It's gorgeous! We leave that up until Thanksgiving and then change it out for Christmas ornaments. But right now we are totally fall. Garlands and pumpkins everywhere. I don't do Halloween though. I keep it just a fall theme. I'm debating whether to leave it up again after this Christmas or whether to put it away. We'll see how the rest of my little family feels about it. They were the ones who wanted it left up for the third year this last time.

I don't want the holidays to get here too fast though. My favorite part of them is the preparations and the excitement and anticipation of them coming. I absolutely love having Christmas things in the stores and Christmas movies on TV. So many people are bothered by that. But I think I must live for this time of year or something. And I do keep Thanksgiving as much as I do Christmas. So I'm not forgetting it. I could totally do without Halloween though. Maybe that's because my kids are all grown up now.

Sorry for the long post. And again...hugs to all who are hurting. I hope you can find peace and comfort. I know I kind of went into a mad scramble after losing my parents. Tried to make new traditions and find a new normal for our family after losing so much. Funny how the old traditions just don't go away though. You can add new ones, but the old ones have a way of just sticking around in spite of all you try to do.

 

I believe if you are happy with the decorations go for it. I personally don't decorate until after Thanksgiving and this year I am a little worried how our new little dog will handle the tree. I love Christmas and can't wait to start the decorating and celebrating the season.