Are your Christmas decorations up yet?

[MinnieLovesMickey12]

Actually I usually put up all my Xmas decorations the weekend after Halloween but this year my DH doesn't get back in town to get my stuff out of storage until Nov 7th. So I am going to be a week late putting up my stuff this year.

I like Christmas to last 2 months instead of just one.

There is no way I would go through all the trouble of putting out all my crap and trees to just have it up for 4 weeks.

 

[sapdaddy2]

My wife says our house looks like "Christmas Vacation X2". It takes my son and I almost every weekend in November to get this house lighted. I will not turn on the lights until Dec 1st and they run from 5-10pm every night except new years eve when they go off for good at midnight.

 

[Wendy31]

Nope!

Right now, I've got Halloween décor mixed in w/ fall décor. After Halloween next week, the Halloween stuff will be put away, & I'll mix in our Thanksgiving items w/ our fall décor.

In my mind, Thanksgiving is a fall holiday & shouldn't have to compete w/ Christmas décor.

The Friday & Saturday after Thanksgiving is when our Christmas décor goes up!

However, I also understand reasons why some people put their Christmas decorations up early - military family having to leave before Christmas, family coming in that won't be back for Christmas, etc.

Like another PP mentioned, I'm also flexible w/ the actual days - due to DH's work schedule, we don't always celebrate the holiday on the actual day.

 

[disneychrista]

2 weeks or so before Christmas is my MAX. I am just not that into holidays/decorations. I guess I am a BAH-HUM-BUG!

 

[kathie859]

Another hearty "NO!!!" One year a neighbor had pilgrims, witches, jack o lanterns AND a Xmas tree and some xmasy lights. Quite the style I love---NOT!!!!

 

[Robbi]

Our decorations will go up w/in the next couple of weeks.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

Oh, I thought you meant from last year
I have a set of crystal type I let in the front window for all holidays to frame the hearts, bunny, clover, flags , pumpkins and Christmas.

We use to let up the tube lengths along the gutter as dh got older, but they are long gone now. We have downsized not only the tree, but the amount of lights. I have become a fan of the holiday blow ups! Just put a big ole pumpkin, turkey or Mickey, Minnie and Santa on a Carousel in the yard ith a flood light or two

But, I guess guess if Disney can start their Christmas displays, it's all good for the folks that don't mind dragging out the holiday season for three months!!

 

[Patience]

Our Christmas decorations go up the Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving depending upon our schedules. We have a fall wreath and pumpkins on our porch right now. I love Christmas and I love my Christmas decorations but a month of them is plenty.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I have my Hallmark "Countdown to Christmas" ornament activated...59 days, 14 hours, 46 minutes until Christmas.

Too funny! I read the title of this thread and put batteries in mine too, just to see if it would work this early.

I love Christmastime, but October is a bit too early for me. I went shopping for some Halloween things the other day, and they were already moving them out to make way for Christmas things. I don't get it - Halloween hasn't happened yet.

I do think about Christmas early. - If I see the perfect present for someone, I'll buy it and hide it in my "Christmas bin," and I usually sneak on the Christmas music (when nobody else is home) the Monday before Thanksgiving, but I don't full-on decorate the house until after. (I also put up outdoor lights on any decent day in late November, and just wait to turn them on.)

DS adores Thanksgiving, and really defends his holiday from the Christmas creep. A couple of years ago, he had a sign with Thanksgiving characters chasing off Christmas characters:

 

[cybrkitn]

Well, if you count the red brick Fadeless Design bulletin board paper that's been around the chimney wall since last Christmas season, then yes (long story - but the gist of it is that there is a hole in the wall that the paper is covering up). I can't wait to start the rest of the decorating! For some reason though, I start getting that Christmas "feeling" in October. So around the last two weeks of the month, I'll start listening to Christmas music.

The one thing I don't like about October is: Summer just officially ended the month before and the holidays start the month after! I'm not ready for it at the beginning of October b/c I'm still in "Summer" mode.

 

[Feralpeg]

Halloween decorations are up...but not for long. The day after Halloween, the Halloween decorations will come down. The outside decorations will change to fall decorations. Christmas decorations will not go up outside until the week of Thanksgiving. The first night of lighting the outside Christmas decorations will be Thanksgiving. I'm originally from Kansas City. I always turned my lights on at the same time as the Plaza lighting!

Inside, I will begin putting out the Christmas decorations as I take down the Halloween decorations. I decorate every room in the house for Christmas. It easily takes me a week or more to decorate. It is a ton of work and not something I'm willing to do for just a couple of weeks. So, we transition from Halloween directly to Christmas. Our house was always decorated for Christmas by Thanksgiving when I was growing up. I love it that way.

The Christmas decorations will stay up until the day after New Year's day. Then, I will slowly put them away.

I love the holidays and love the way my home looks decorated for Christmas. I can't wait to get started.

 

[MSLRAC]

I'll admit that I just asked DH if Christmas lights and our red and green Mickey head walk way lights would look tacky with our Minion jack-o-lanterns. I am so ready for Christmas this year and I don't know why! We usually don't decorate until the weekend after Thanksgiving but I'm thinking it will be the weekend after Halloween this year.

 

[tinkerbellandeeyor]

I did not read the thread but maybe the family has a family member that won't make it till December 25

 

[minnie mum]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but how does everyone modify their Christmas decorating when taking a toddler into account?? DGS is just turning 2 and gets into EVERYTHING!! He's a great kid, but I worry about some of my very breakable decorations. And I have visions of him giving the pine garlands a good tug and having ornaments flying.

Do I just make sure that everything less than 4 feet from the floor is unbreakable? I don't want to spoil his Christmas by spending the whole time endlessly repeating "Nathan, please don't touch".

 

[pigletgirl]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but how does everyone modify their Christmas decorating when taking a toddler into account?? DGS is just turning 2 and gets into EVERYTHING!! He's a great kid, but I worry about some of my very breakable decorations. And I have visions of him giving the pine garlands a good tug and having ornaments flying.

Do I just make sure that everything less than 4 feet from the floor is unbreakable? I don't want to spoil his Christmas by spending the whole time endlessly repeating "Nathan, please don't touch".

I have definitely thought through this.

A friend of mine has suggested having a baby gate (something similar to this: http://www.buybuybaby.com/store/pro...T-Safety-Gate-System/112697?Keyword=baby+gate ) that will wrap around the tree. Also, be sure to put the fancy ornaments near the top of the tree.

I really do understand why people just don't even do Christmas decorations when they have toddlers.

I'm going to ignore the issue till it becomes one!

 

[thedonduck]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but how does everyone modify their Christmas decorating when taking a toddler into account?? DGS is just turning 2 and gets into EVERYTHING!! He's a great kid, but I worry about some of my very breakable decorations. And I have visions of him giving the pine garlands a good tug and having ornaments flying. Do I just make sure that everything less than 4 feet from the floor is unbreakable? I don't want to spoil his Christmas by spending the whole time endlessly repeating "Nathan, please don't touch".

We have a 3 and almost 2 year old. The last few Christmas expensive and sentimental ornaments that are breakable are put on the top part of the tree out of toddler reach. The lower part are either ones I don't care about or non breakables. They both know they are not allowed to touch. I also made them a felt tree that hangs up near our tree. If they want to "help decorate" that is all theirs. I cut out a bunch of ornaments and presents and they love playing with it. Otherwise I decorate pretty much the rest of the house the same way. Expensive or very sentimental up high and things I don't worry about down low. Garland I just make sure it is secure that the dogs, kids, or cat running past don't knock it off the staircase.

Just like anything else in your house just baby proof it ;-)

As far as decorating DH wants to start Nov 1st. Haha we just purchased our new house and we are in the process of moving. He doesn't want to haul all the bins up to the attic just to bring them back down 3 weeks later. We shall see who wins on this one

 

[Carstairs38]

Some people do have Halloween ornaments and put up Halloween trees. Maybe that's what your neighbors had up?

As for me, I have ornaments out and all over the place since I collect Hallmark and buy throughout the 6 months they are in stores. But I haven't put any of them out yet. Will probably start next month since Thanksgiving is so late and I'm always out of town for it.

 

[luvsJack]

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but how does everyone modify their Christmas decorating when taking a toddler into account?? DGS is just turning 2 and gets into EVERYTHING!! He's a great kid, but I worry about some of my very breakable decorations. And I have visions of him giving the pine garlands a good tug and having ornaments flying.

Do I just make sure that everything less than 4 feet from the floor is unbreakable? I don't want to spoil his Christmas by spending the whole time endlessly repeating "Nathan, please don't touch".

I put away my breakables last year I bought two of the sets at walmart with three colors of plastic ornaments It was so much easier not having to worry about little hands or having to keep telling them no. and the tree was beautiful.

 

[jdb in AZ]

Some families put their Christmas trees inside a play pen (pack and play.) Others actually staple something tree-shaped to their ceiling and hang ornaments from that. hey, whatever works.

Another consideration with small kiddos -- the whole decoration scene makes them hyper. An experienced mom was asked for advice about unruly kids around the holidaze and the voice of experience advised the new mom to put away the decorations (this was right after Christmas) and wait a week or two, and the kid would settle down.

One year I decorated right after Halloween and really got tired of the clutter by Christmas.

 

[Poohs Pal]

Mine will be up by November 8th. We leave for Disney November 9th and arrive home on Thanksgiving Day. So it will be nice to walk in the house and have everything in place so I can relax from my vacation Getting the carpet cleaned this Friday and will spend the weekend putting the tree and other indoor decor up. Then any nice day after that the outdoor lights will go up but not on until Thanksgiving evening.