How early do you start decorating for Christmas?

[jalapeno_pretzel]

My kids get very miffed at how Christmas encroaches on Thanksgiving, so we start the next day.

My kids also get irritated about holiday decorating too soon! (So then it becomes a bit of a joke that I'll start trying to put things out extra early, or place some things discreetly and see how long it takes them to notice). Usually it's the first weekend in December before things really start going up though.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thanksgiving weekend, and it stays up until January 6.

And I hope everyone knows the significance of January 6th. I put up the tree about 12 days before Christmas, and take it down 12 days after. I admit, though, that outdoor lights usually go out a week or so before that.
When I was in college, I had a boyfriend who didn't know exactly what the 12 days of Christmas meant in religious history. So he started giving me little gifts to represent the day (like on the "5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me"-not exactly 5 golden rings, but 5 'golden' doughnuts. It was really cute, and at the time, romantic, even if not authentically religious, since to him the 12th day was Christmas day. I always think of him when I put the tree up.

 

[Buzz Rules]

First weekend of Advent.

 

[Buzz Rules]

And I hope everyone knows the significance of January 6th. I put up the tree about 12 days before Christmas, and take it down 12 days after. I admit, though, that outdoor lights usually go out a week or so before that.
When I was in college, I had a boyfriend who didn't know exactly what the 12 days of Christmas meant in religious history. So he started giving me little gifts to represent the day (like on the "5th day of Christmas my true love gave to me"-not exactly 5 golden rings, but 5 'golden' doughnuts. It was really cute, and at the time, romantic, even if not authentically religious, since to him the 12th day was Christmas day. I always think of him when I put the tree up.

I celebrate Epiphany so some Christmas decorations stay up.

 

[Kite16510]

The question is in the title. Perhaps December 1st? We tend to leave it until two weeks before, so the tree stays fresh for longer (we always get a natural tree).

Mine are already up. I live in the frozen NW corner of Pennsylvania and I don't wait for it to snow before I decorate. I'm usually the first one on my block. Maybe even the first one in my city. I don't do a lot, but the two decorations that I do have go up way before Thanksgiving. Last year we got 4 feet of snow on Thanksgiving. And then we got another foot of snow two days later and one more foot the next day. So November 1 is where it's at for me.

 

[hardcorestitch]

I bet everyone in Buffalo, Cincinnati, Norfolk and Louisville are also decorating as we speak… local Christmas radio is now on in those areas…

 

[Ronaldo17]

When the kids were still at home it was the first weekend in December, now it's a lot nearer Christmas, or not at all if we are going on vacation.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

As early as I can possibly get away with it. My mother *loathed* Christmas, and I never did find out why. Our tree went up Christmas Eve and came down New Year's Day when I was a kid. Now that I'm the one in charge of Christmas decor at my house, it goes up the third week of November and comes down the second week of January.

 

[QueenIsabella]

As early as I can possibly get away with it. My mother *loathed* Christmas, and I never did find out why. Our tree went up Christmas Eve and came down New Year's Day when I was a kid. Now that I'm the one in charge of Christmas decor at my house, it goes up the third week of November and comes down the second week of January.

My mom hated Christmas, too. OTOH, it was my dad's favorite holiday, but he didn't dare cross her. Some years, we didn't even have a tree. I suspect it was because we wee poor, and she hated that the commercialization of Christmas reminded her of that, plus it took away from the religious aspect--she was very religious generally. But I say--how you (pontifical "you", in this case, my mom) celebrate the holiday is on you. You can focus on the religious aspects and not get caught up in the spending frenzy. There are tons of non-money-focused things you can do, from holding a food drive to singing carols to putting on a nativity play, that require very little money.

Of course, when I was in college, my mom was diagnosed bi-polar, so that was likely a factor, too.