A question for our Canadian posters about Christmas

[JennaDeeDooDah]

As we Americans prepare for our Thanksgiving and talk about Black Friday and how it is/is not appropriate to have Christmas decorations up and Christmas music playing until after Thanksgiving, it got me thinking about all of yall. I'm going to assume that you do not start getting ready for Christmas as soon as your own Thanksgiving is over, so when do you start getting ready? I have noticed that on Love Actually, they are all getting ready for Christmas weeks before more Americans deem it acceptable. So, what say you? When do the decorations go up and the music starts playing?

 

[mommasita]

Well, there are LOTS of decorations up and LIT around town.
Normally, I decorate outside around Nov 1st, however, I DON"T light it up. I normailly do it early strictly due to the cold weather approaching, but I am later than usual this year. I plan on doing this on Wednesday as they are announcing a nice mild day (for us, that is)

The first weekend in December is when we put the tree up in our house. I have 2 cats, and that is about all the time I can manage that scene.

 

[mommasita]

Well, there are LOTS of decorations up and LIT around town.
Normally, I decorate outside around Nov 1st, however, I DON"T light it up. I normailly do it early strictly due to the cold weather approaching, but I am later than usual this year. I plan on doing this on Wednesday as they are announcing a nice mild day (for us, that is)

The first weekend in December is when we put the tree up in our house. I have 2 cats, and that is about all the time I can manage that scene.

ETA: I heard my first Xmas music today on the radio..

 

[Terapin]

It seems that in my neighbourhood the last weekend of November is when most decorations go up. Although anytime after Halloween seems to be ok, too. Where I live that coincides with colder weather starting.

 

[ronandannette]

Anytime after Haloween is fair ball. The stores and malls put up their Christmas stuff November 1. Fresh trees are available now so I imagine people have started buying them; house and yard lights will begin to wink on at any point now too. (We look forward to them as most areas of the country will be pitch-black by 6:30 p.m. at this time of year). Last but totally not least, television commercials are almost exclusively holiday-theamed by now.

As for me and my house, we don't actually "get into it" until after December 15 and the decorations stay up until the weekend after New Years.

 

[Sarah_Rose]

A few of my neighbours have had their lights on since Saturday. The decorations and music have been up in the malls for 2 weeks now.... so I guess right after Halloween.

Our own personal rule is December 1st (or the weekend after December 1). I still need to put our Halloween stuff away (it's been taken down and packed away, but the boxes haven't been put back into storage, yet), so obviously I'm nowhere near ready!

 

[plutotek]

I have noticed that on Love Actually, they are all getting ready for Christmas weeks before more Americans deem it acceptable.

Actually, the movie starts either 5 or 6 weeks before Christmas, which puts it right around our Thanksgiving.

 

[ferris198]

We will probably put the lights up outside but won't turn them on for a couple of weeks.
Apparently we are getting our tree the first week of December.
Haven't heard Christmas music yet.

 

[kimblebee]

I have December 2nd circled on our calendar. That's when our tree is going up and all the decorations come out. I always love Christmas but don't want to get sick of it by starting too early.

 

[abdmom]

We had the Santa Claus parade yesterday. My favourite station switched to all Christmas music today. As one other poster mentioned, after Halloween is fair game. I took the kids out Christmas shopping this evening, just because we were in the big box store for another matter and we had half an hour to kill.

 

[tigercat]

One of my ds works for a dollar store. Right after Halloween, the Christmas stuff was put out. So I guess the 1st of Nov. is when things start to turn to Christmas. I am not in malls usually so haven't heard Christmas music. I am not sure we are even going to put up a tree this year as we don't know if anyone will be here except my dh and my 2 ds. They are both 32 and don't really care. It is a lot of work for me to put it up and since my health has been really bad for so many months now I don't know if I am up to it.

tigercat

 

[Chokky]

A rule of thumb around here is not until after Remembrance Day which is November 11th.

So starting November 12th you can go all out and the radio station here that plays non stop Christmas music starts on November 12th.

Of course stores start putting out Christmas merchandise before then but it is considered disrespectful to go all out Christmas until Remembrance Day has happened.

It was just in the news here about a store apologizing about playing Christmas music in their stores before Remembrance Day. They said sorry and stopped the Chrismas music in store until November 12th.

If you put up Christmas lights on your house before then (to beat the cold weather) you are not meant to turn them on until after November 11th either.

At least that is what happens where I live.

 

[lizabu]

We had our Santa Claus parade a week ago and many people put up their decorations around then. I tend to hold off until Dec1 just because Christmas decorations feel more special to me when I don't have them up so long I'm sick of looking at them. I tend to take them down on New Years

I agree with the not until after Rememberance Day comment. It's seen by many to be disrespectful.

 

[Gigi22]

Shopper's Drug Mart started playing Christmas music in their stores before, I think it was (could be wrong) Remembrance Day, Nov. 11, and received numerous customer complaints. In response, the store stopped the music and announced they will resume it later.

So, I would say Christmas music should only be played after Remembrance Day, Nov. 11. Remembrance Day is a time to show our respect for those who fought for us. Mixing it with Christmas music seems crass on a few levels.

First Christmas music I've heard so far this year was in the liquor store today.

 

[Disneefun]

A rule of thumb around here is not until after Remembrance Day which is November 11th.

So starting November 12th you can go all out and the radio station here that plays non stop Christmas music starts on November 12th.

Of course stores start putting out Christmas merchandise before then but it is considered disrespectful to go all out Christmas until Remembrance Day has happened.

It was just in the news here about a store apologizing about playing Christmas music in their stores before Remembrance Day. They said sorry and stopped the Chrismas music in store until November 12th.

If you put up Christmas lights on your house before then (to beat the cold weather) you are not meant to turn them on until after November 11th either.

At least that is what happens where I live.

That is one thing (among many) that I really love and respect about the UK and Canada. You guys put a lot more emphasis on Remembrance Day (our Veteran's Day) than we do. Sure, we have parades, etc. but generally it's just another occasion for more sales here. Not much real "remembrance" goes on.

When I lived in the UK, I was blown away by how much more respect was given to that day than here in the US.

 

[tigercat]

Our Christmas parade was this past weekend. On Remembrance day the Malls here stopped everything at 11 and had On Flanders Field read over the PA, then had taps (I think) done and then had 2 minutes of silence. Everything and everyone stopped what they were doing for the whole time. It was nice.
What is really frustrating though on another board there were people from the U.S. saying that only vets in the States should be recogniced as the one's from Canada and the UK were really not noticed anyway. That only vets from the States really fought in any of the wars. Some people were really upset at any other vets getting attention. What was really funny though was that the vets from the States were really standing up for all vets and wanted all the vets recogniced not just them.
I don't think any Christmas things should be done until after Remembrance. Day
tigercat

 

[lizabu]

Our Christmas parade was this past weekend. On Remembrance day the Malls here stopped everything at 11 and had On Flanders Field read over the PA, then had taps (I think) done and then had 2 minutes of silence. Everything and everyone stopped what they were doing for the whole time. It was nice.
What is really frustrating though on another board there were people from the U.S. saying that only vets in the States should be recogniced as the one's from Canada and the UK were really not noticed anyway. That only vets from the States really fought in any of the wars. Some people were really upset at any other vets getting attention. What was really funny though was that the vets from the States were really standing up for all vets and wanted all the vets recogniced not just them.
I don't think any Christmas things should be done until after Remembrance. Day
tigercat

yeah....anyone who says such a thing is pretty ignorant and not worth thinking about what they said. Any of the US vets are the ones who know what they're talking about. Canada and the UK were in the war way before the US. There are always people who think USA is the only country in the world but I like tho think they are a minority.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

Actually, the movie starts either 5 or 6 weeks before Christmas, which puts it right around our Thanksgiving.

It's 6 weeks before Christmas. But, this year, Thanksgiving is as early as it can possibly be and it is less than 5 weeks before Christmas. Plus, people really seem to complain about decorations being up prior to Christmas.

 

[Northstar]

Just wanted to say that many of my neighbors put up their outside lights last weekend, and the street looks very pretty tonight.

The ladies who sell their homemade wreaths roadside out the back of a truck haven't showed up yet, and the tree lots aren't set up. I expect to see them starting around December 2nd.

 

[goofyintoronto]

I didn't read the previous posts, but here in Toronto many people put their decorations up right after the Santa clause parade. the parade was just this past Sunday. its always around this time.

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