When can you put up Christmas lights outside your house and not be tacky? [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

disneym2m

11-05-2008, 12:10 AM

I usually put my Christmas lights up the week of Thanksgiving and not turn them on until Thanksgiving night. Since we only have three weeks from Thanksgiving to Christmas this year , I might turn mine on a week before Thanksgiving. I usually put my lights up on a warm day. So they may go up this week, but not turned on until later.

I will share this with you. My neighbors across the street, put their lights up at the beginning of October and turned them on, on Halloween night. They haven't been on since, but they do have the plastic decorations and red bows on their porch, so you know they have decorations up.

I believe it is totally up to you. Your neighbors might think you are a little crazy. But again, it is up to you. Be the crazy person in the neighborhood...who cares. My tree will be going up in the next couple of weeks because I have the time now. So put up your lights and maybe turn them on until the middle or last week of November.

What are your neighbors going to do? I don't think there is Christmas lights police. :goodvibes

IWISHFORDISNEY

11-05-2008, 12:46 AM

Day after Thanksgiving.

Joseph Carter

11-05-2008, 03:44 AM

Personally December 1st!:thumbsup2

Annette_VA

11-05-2008, 04:52 AM

We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse last night & it was fully decked out for Christmas :rolleyes: Way too early

Launchpad11B

11-05-2008, 05:14 AM

Mid - NOv?

Of course we know of those who keep them up year round... I would but my wife wont let me. :rolleyes1

ASAP!! :santa:

tinkbutt

11-05-2008, 05:20 AM

I saw maybe a few days before turkey day to start off the holiday fun! ;)

Heck in retail we had our first holiday Shipment ( clothing) in SEPTEMBER:scared1: WAY TOO EARLY!!! IMHO

pklein09

11-05-2008, 05:47 AM

We peg it by Santa and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade too. I'm Catholic and DH is Jewish, so he's grateful that I wait until then. The other caveat in our house (because DH is Jewish...): no outside lights!!!! He says he knows he'll be the one to put them up and he claims it's not in his job description:rolleyes: We compromise and put candles in the windows. Now if I could just get that second Christmas tree for all my Disney ornaments.....:rolleyes1

CinderellasSister

11-05-2008, 05:56 AM

Our's will probably go up in the next couple of weeks. However, we won't actually turn them on until at least the beginning of December. We just like to decorate outside while the weather is still a little warmer (I'm in Jersey so as long as it's above 50 we're good to decorate!) :rotfl:

wildeoscar

11-05-2008, 07:21 AM

After you see Santa in the Macy's Thanksgiving parade:rotfl:

ding... prefer day after thanksgiving, however after the parade is earliest

lttlmc3

11-05-2008, 07:24 AM

With time and luck I'll put them up just after Thanksgiving. Last year they didn't get up until the almost mid-December!

erinmommyof2

11-05-2008, 07:28 AM

sparkyboy

11-05-2008, 07:47 AM

DH and DGS just took the Halloween lights down Sunday afternoon. He left all drop cords in place and if the weather is warm enough this next week end, we'll put the lights up outside. Ever since he fell from the garage several years ago due to the ice, we've made it a rule that the Christmas lights go up early while it is still warm-no snow or ice. We don't put anything other decorations, bows or wreathes up until Thanksgiving week end. Then will turn them on December 1st.

simonkodousek

11-05-2008, 08:55 AM

I actually saw a house with Christmas lights up already just the other day. Because most of the houses around here are two stories, a lot of people get their houses professionally decorated by companies who specialize in stuff like that.

We however, put our Christmas lights up a week or so after Thanksgiving and only put them on four trees and some bushes. My parents are so creative... :rolleyes:

~Simon :)

Michele

11-05-2008, 08:59 AM

I say anytime in Nov, but don't turn them on till Thanksgiving.

UrsulasShadow

11-05-2008, 09:17 AM

Wow. Who can afford the electrical bills?

ADP

11-05-2008, 09:24 AM

What's this? A thread about when to put up Christmas lights? I thought they were supposed to stay up year round! ;) Hey! It's always Christmas at the North Pole, right? :confused:

wildfan1473

11-05-2008, 09:49 AM

What's this? A thread about when to put up Christmas lights? I thought they were supposed to stay up year round! ;) Hey! It's always Christmas at the North Pole, right? :confused:

We've been known to do that :rotfl:

Ideally, however, our general rule of thumb is DH should have the outside house lights up before heading to deer camp (which is in 2 days, and he hasn't even drug them out yet). Like other posters have said, once the snow and ice come, it's way too dangerous to try and get them up - we've missed getting them up 2 different years because he couldn't get on the roof, and 1 year he got stuck because he couldn't get off the roof without sliding off :scared1: And that's just in 9 years. We don't turn them on, though, until the day after Thanksgiving, and then we work on the inside of the house.

Geef

11-05-2008, 10:12 AM

Well.....the ones on the roof went up this past weekend!! ;) We didn't turn them on though! We put them up on a warm, dry day to reduce the chances that DH will fall off the roof. Everything else will be put up the weekend after Thanksgiving and we'll turn them on December 1st.

When you say "WE" put them up... followed by "reduce the chances that DH will fall off the roof"... this tells me "WE" didn't put them up, He did.
My wife talks like that also. :lmao:

Geef

11-05-2008, 10:12 AM

We, me, put them up early. This week is most likley when I'll be told to do it. But we leave them dark untill Thanksgiving.

How long after do you keep them lit? We go for about a week after New Years day.

My ipod (2GB) is maxed out with only Christmas music (and a couple of podcasts) already.

DVCsince02

11-05-2008, 10:15 AM

Putting them up and turning them on are two different things. ;)

burberryplaid

11-05-2008, 10:39 AM

I think you can put them up anytime now. I would definitely want to put them up while the weather is still warm enough to not freeze...but I wouldn't actually turn them on until after Thanksgiving. Just my opinion though

UrsulasShadow

11-05-2008, 11:54 AM

When you say "WE" put them up... followed by "reduce the chances that DH will fall off the roof"... this tells me "WE" didn't put them up, He did.
My wife talks like that also. :lmao:

Ummm, team effort, I'm sure. SOMEBODY has to supervise...:lmao:

MenashaCorp

11-05-2008, 11:56 AM

Putting them up and turning them on are two different things. ;)

You talking wives or Christmas lights? :teeth:

Tent Camping Mom

11-05-2008, 01:10 PM

Well, our neighbor keeps hers up all year long (and on! :upsidedow )
but we start decorating the weekend after Thanksgiving and take
everything down the day after the 12 days of Christmas (January 6).

ADP

11-05-2008, 01:26 PM

You talking wives or Christmas lights? :teeth:

:rotfl: :lmao: :laughing:

crazydisneyman

11-05-2008, 01:37 PM

I am with ADP....

When do you take them down? I thought they stayed up all year.

We actually turn them on after Thansgiving. They go up when it is warmer during November which will not be this weekend. :thumbsup2

SpaceMtnFan

11-07-2008, 10:55 AM

I put my Christmas Lights on the Outside of my apartment right after Thanksgiving. I hope they all work:rolleyes: :upsidedow

orlandesign

11-07-2008, 11:27 AM

I leave them up all year long... you can use it for every holiday.

Soccermom-Cheri

11-07-2008, 08:15 PM

ah, one of the joys of having a Home Owners Association: they tell you when they can go up and when to have them down. Or else! In our case it is Thanksgiving to Jan 15th. Or here come the threatening letters and fines.

MM32830

11-07-2008, 10:29 PM

If you are Disney, the time put Christmas lights up is NOW. Disney has been decorating for the past week or so. They started putting lights and decorations up right after Halloween. DTD is looking mighty pretty right now.

_______________
Armand

ToddyLu

11-07-2008, 10:35 PM

:cool1: Have all three of my trees up now. But I do admit to keeping the shutters closed so the neighbors would not freak out about the crazy lady putting up her trees the week of Halloween. But I want to enjoy them and we are going to WDW 12/5-12/14 this year.:santa:

bigfish2215

11-07-2008, 10:36 PM

Well, our lights didn't come down until the roofers came in April and re-roofed the house and put new gutters on. I was going to do it but I forgot about them. I didn't turn them on, so I forgot. I put them up normally in Nov when the sun is gonna shine but it too cold this weekend. I will take them down earlier this year I promise.

Renysmom

11-07-2008, 10:49 PM

We are putting ours up the weekend before Thanksgiving this year do to how late Thanksgiving is this year. We will turn them on Thanksgiving night and then take them down NY weekend

TyRy

11-09-2008, 03:16 PM

We have so many lights that I was trying to get DH to start early (last weekend was awesome here in Chicagoland) and just not turn them on until the day after Thanksgiving. Looks like he'll be freezing again this year! They usually stay on through the second week of January.

aGoofyMom

11-09-2008, 04:15 PM

Well the roof line lights didn't come down this year (oops) but we resisted the urge to turn them on after Thanksgiving :rolleyes1

Our Thanksgiving is way too early to benchmark, so I am not allowed to do any decorating until Dec. 1 - or within a few days, depending on my shift.
I maintain lights should always be up (but dark) before the snow flies (Ick! - they are calling for snow just to the north of here tonight & tomorrow!) if only for safety's sake.

And since DH has to be the one to put up the main tree, I get to do the other 3!

I already have my new Tink tree topper for this year too! :goodvibes

Now - to get the Halloween music off the MP3 player to make room for the Christmas stuff! :santa:

DVCJones

11-09-2008, 08:13 PM

I just saw a lighted x-mas tree in the front yard of a neighbor. :lmao:

We usually wait until the day after Thanksgiving.

aGoofyMom

11-10-2008, 11:55 AM

I just remembered - our Christmas parade is Saturday! DD & DH will be in it, I will be out of town. And yet it still seems to early to have the lights on....

JL123

11-10-2008, 02:34 PM

The weekend after Thanksgiving is a great time to put the lights up! Then you can enjoy them for a whole month (or more)!:thumbsup2

Launchpad11B

11-10-2008, 03:09 PM

Cocowum is decorating as I type this! :santa:

Twitterpated Dad

11-10-2008, 05:34 PM

I say anytime in Nov, but don't turn them on till Thanksgiving.

:thumbsup2

Wow. Who can afford the electrical bills?

You do have those new super cool and oh so green LED lights, don't you? If not, go out and help stimulate the economy. ;)

Seriously, the new lights have great color and use about 10% of the electricity that incandescent bulbs do. So, if you're shopping for new lights, check them out.