When do YOU put up your Christmas Tree?

[delilah]

We usually put up the tree and set out decorations the weekend after Thankgiving, or the first Sunday of Advent. This was the tradition in my husband's family. My parents used to put up the tree on Christmas Eve, or maybe the weekend before. In our house, we need to leave up the tree until Epiphany, or Jan 6, or the first weekend after. I once tried putting it away before that, and my husband had a cow. I think it is an ethnic difference in our case--he is Hispanic, and I am German. Part of the wonder of Christmas for me as a child was going to sleep on Christmas Eve, and have Santa leave the presents and tree for us to see Christmas morning. This was before we were old enough to go to Midnight Mass.

 

[aprilgail2]

Originally posted by delilah
We usually put up the tree and set out decorations the weekend after Thankgiving, or the first Sunday of Advent. This was the tradition in my husband's family. My parents used to put up the tree on Christmas Eve, or maybe the weekend before. In our house, we need to leave up the tree until Epiphany, or Jan 6, or the first weekend after. I once tried putting it away before that, and my husband had a cow. I think it is an ethnic difference in our case--he is Hispanic, and I am German. Part of the wonder of Christmas for me as a child was going to sleep on Christmas Eve, and have Santa leave the presents and tree for us to see Christmas morning. This was before we were old enough to go to Midnight Mass.

I take mine down by Jan1st....I am actually ready to take the tree down by Dec. 27th but I push it and leave it up and take it down New Years Day since I am off. I couldn't imagine putting the tree up Christmas eve...all that work and then taking it down a few days later....I usually try to get my daughter to sleep by 10pm and then run around gathering up al lthe gifts and putting them under the tree before I fall asleep! Last year I actually laid down with her and fell asleep...luckily I woke up at 3am and realized I had dozed off and got everything together!!

 

[cinmell]

We put our tree and all other decorations up the day after Thanksgiving.

 

[lynxstch]

and take it down on Jan 1..by then we have all had enough of the holidays..lol!..it's a New Year's Day tradition to take down the tree while watching the parade!

 

[snoopy]

We always have two trees -- one artificial and one real. The artificial one traditionally goes up on the day after Thanksgiving, and the real one we get usually the second weekend in December.

 

[EsmeraldaX]

We put it up the day after Thanksgiving. However, because our dog enjoys eating and tearing up wrapping paper, we do not put gifts under the tree until Christmas morning. We just keep them up on a card table near the tree.

We take it down by the first week of January.

 

[Credit Man]

Our tradition is, tree up and decorated on Thanksgiving day, after dinner of course.

 

[Octoberbeauty]

Growing up we always had real trees so it was always 2 weeks before Christmas, but now I use artificial so it's Thanksgiving weekend. I put presents under the tree as I wrap them, but "Santa" gifts go under Christmas Eve.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

We normally try for the week after Thanksgiving.

 

[luckywife]

Our tradition is, Thanksgiving weekend. Last year it was later than that because I was in the hospital to have my appendix removed the day after Thanksgiving.
This year though, I'm sure we'll put it up the day after Thanksgiving or that Saturday afternoon/evening.

 

[~*Belle 2003*~]

Usually around December 14th, or the nearest weekend to that date.

 

[kellyb2000]

We have 2 trees in my house, one upstairs/one downstairs, so I start the week before Thanksgiving to get all my lights on. Then usually Thanksgiving evening I will start with my decorations. I'm one of those that has to have it perfect which is going to be hard this year since my son will be 2! I will have them both down usually the day after Christmas.


Here's another question - do you use white lights or colored lights? On my trees I use white but on the house I use the colored ones.

 

[NMAmy]

We decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. I like to get the tree & all set up so we can enjoy it. We always used to have a live tree but a few years ago we were in an apartment and it was just such a hassle that I bought a fake one. It is nice to not have to worry about it dying!

 

[MerryPoppins]

We usually put it up around early/mid December. DH grew up putting it up at Thansgiving, but has made the transition since it stays up through Epiphany or the weekend following. We use a combination of colored and white lights. (DH loves white lights and I like multicolored - so we compromise!)

When the kids were little we didn't put many packages under the tree until Christmas Eve. Now we put them all (except the Santa gifts) out as we get them wrapped. But I have to admit that with a kitty we don't rush and I avoid bows. He takes bows as an invitation to go into destructo mode. I did make a Santa picket fence that surrounds the gifts and that helps.

 

[helenabear]

Fake trees in our family, so at least one goes up on Thanksgiving Day. I usually get mine up not too long after. I am not entirely sure when I will get mine up this year. I usually don't have it in me to do my Dad's on Thanksgiving Day and then mine immediately after. And as of last year, we have a 7' tree instead of a 4.5' so it's a lot more work. I have a wedding to go to the Sat after Thanksgiving and I am on vacation in early Dec. If I am lucky, I'll get it done before I go, and if not, I'll have to wait until mid Dec to do it.

 

[mrsltg]

We put ours up mid-December. My dd's birthday is 12/8 and we're having her party 12/11 so it'll have to wait until at least 12/12! The house itself will be decorated the day after Thanksgiving. No presents go under the tree until Santa comes.

Erin

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I ALWAYS (and I mean **always**) put it up on the day after Thanksgiving!

 

[Chicago526]

The day after Thanksgiving! When I get home from T-Day dinner at my family's, I move all the X-Mas boxes from the garage into the house to warm up overnight. The next day I start after breakfast. I'm usually done by mid-afternoon, so then I head out to hit all the post T-Day sales. In my area, so many people hit the early bird specials, that the stores arent' crowded at all my mid-afternoon.

 

[littleclover]

Day after Thanskgiving, stays up until Jan 6th and has to be white lights only. It's been pretty easy since I bought a pre-lit tree.

Who has those and aren't they the greatest invention ever??

 

[jrydberg]

After Thanksgiving. I do artificial because my daughter loves to help put the tree together.