When do YOU put up your Christmas Tree?

[diznygirl]

We used to put up the tree right after Thanksgiving, but DS's bday is the 6th, so now it is after his party.

We tend to leave it up until after New Year's. Gotta love artificial!

We have friends that get a real tree and have a tree decorating party the week before Christmas. That's a nice tradition too.

We use white and color lights. The white "twinkle" and the colors are steady - it really makes for a nice effect. It was a compromise for our first Christmas together - tho really my idea!

Presents go under the tree Christmas Eve when kiddies are in bed - preserving the magic of the season! (And why buy trouble by putting them out any earlier?)

I love Christmas and can't wait - but DS loves Halloween, so we get out some of our decorating juices now.

 

[KathAnn]

I'm British and my tree goes up 12 days before Christmas and comes down 12 days after! I've got 2 cats - so an artificial tree is what I have - years ago they tried to eat the real tree I'd bought. Luckily the lights weren't plugged in at the time.

Tradition in my place (10 years this Christmas). Sunday lunch followed by The Decorating! Side table covered in red cloth and topped with Granny's small lace table cloth. 4ft high tree's taken out of the box and covered with lights - all white, but they can be set to twinkle, flash or stay static. Tree's then lifted onto table (after checking all the lights work) and then decorated with a huge assortment of decorations that go right back to Great Granny's tiny porcelain doll (bought in Darmstadt, Germany in 1900). Amongst others Mickey, Piglet, Donald Duck, Tigger, Eyeore, Cogsworth and Lumiere also make their annual appearance. Scented pine cones and candy canes fill in any gaps. No tinsel is used, but I have long strings of red, green and gold beads.

Then I stand back and welcome a long round of applause and a large Gin and Tonic!

(The following Sunday I repeat the process at my parents' house!)

PS: Presents go under the tree on Christmas Eve and not before. Santa is also left a glass of sherry and a mincemeat pie. Rudolph and other raindeers get carrots. The neighbour's children were so thrilled to know that he'd delivered presents for them to my house. And it was doubly exciting because they could see the snowy footprints he'd left on my carpet - and nobody said that the "snow" smelled like powdered sugar!!!!

 

[SandrainNC]

I usually put them up the weekend after Thanksgiving, but not this year. I will be at WDW!!!!!!! So, I guess I will do it the weekend after we get back (or before we go). I haven't decided yet.

Sandra

 

[Chattyaholic]

This year I requested the Friday after Thanksgiving off from work, not to go shopping but to just stay home, put the tree up and decorate it, and put out the rest of the decorations. I'm already looking forward to it, but wondering how the cat is going to be with the tree. My other cat usually left the tree alone, except for an occasional pawing at the ornaments on the bottom but she was basically pretty good about leaving it alone. I'm wondering how my new cat is going to be with it, and with my holiday village that I normally set out in the bay window. Time will tell.

 

[Squem]

Usually at the beginning of December

 

[Jeafl]

Since I put up 3 full size trees I start the day after Thanksgiving. It takes at least a couple of days to get them all up. Each of my kids has a small tree in their room which they decorate that weekend as well. We also have well over 100 Snow Village houses which take forever to put up. If we didn't start that early, we'd never finish decorating!

 

[mallcat]

Since I work for the mall, I have to put everything up before Thanksgiving or it would never get done. But, even as a child, I put my tree up in my bedroom the day after Halloween. My parents used to just shake their heads and smile. I've always loved Christmas so.

 

[campingcorgi]

I usually wait till after Halloween, too! We will start with the boxes (and boxes and boxes) of other decorations and then have the tree done by Nov. 4th or so. It all starts coming down the day after Christmas, though.

Colored lights!

 

[sanddune]

After Halloween our trees go up. Outdoor lights go up when I take down Halloween lights the day after Halloween.We normaly go to WDW for Christmas. So it has to be up early. I have packing ,wraping,baking,cleaning ,school partys,etc..

 

[Beanie]

Usually, we have waited until the weekend after Thanksgiving to put up the tree, lights, ect. This year, I would like to start putting up Christmas Lights outside as soon as Halloween is over! DH thinks I am strange because this is the first year I have really got "into" christmas and want to go all out with lights, decorations, trees, ect. We have 12 foot hedges in our yard that surround our property and I want to decorate them all!!

 

[jkovick]

Usually the first weekend in November. Very early, yes,but I love Christmas!

 

[Strawberry Lemonade]

We put ours up the day after Thanksgiving. In the morning, we'll hit the Black Friday sales and put the tree and outside lights up that afternoon. We have an artificial tree and ALL lights (inside and out) are white. I love white lights. We usually take it down the first or second weekend of the new year.

 

[39CINDERELLA]

don't laugh but I started to move furniture around the other day to see where I wanted to put the tree! my dd just shook her head she knows how much I love Christmas, It will prob. go up around Thanksgiving week. the holisay are so rushed as it is so I like to enjoy my tree before all the madness arrives.

 

[shelbyjosh]

We usually do ours the 2nd weekend in December. I wouldn't mind doing it earlier, but by day 3 or 4 of having it up it looks like crap. I have to deal with a golden retriever's tail hitting it and the cat who likes to bat the lights and orns from underneath!! It gets really frustrating. I think this year I'll do my Mickey tree. I have over 100 red Mickey bulbs. DH calls it the apple tree!!

 

[MUFFYCAT]

The tree we put up Thanksgiving weekend. For the outside decorations it all depends on the weather. Last year my DH put them up a week before because it was 60 degrees and forecast was for cold weather to be moving in. My neighbors were laughing that we were so early, well the next 2 weeks were so cold they were cursing us at because we were inside the warm house while they were freezing outside.

 

[minniecarousel]

Definitely Thanksgiving weekend this year! DH & I are going to Disneyland the week before Christmas and I want everything decorated before we leave. Our oldest son's birthday is Dec 12 - when we was little, we always waited until after his birthday to get the tree and decorate. Now, I have to grab the boys to put up the outside lights on T'giving weekend! It's also time to seperate older DS's decorations out to give to him since he has his own apt - not sure if he'll get a tree - but I should at least offer him all the ornaments I bought for him over the years!

We LOVE our artificial, pre-lit tree! How easy is that - and it looks great! (& we even get the right smells with Yankee candle tarts & candles!)

 

[DisneyCP2002]

Mine always goes up the weekend after thanksgiving My houses collection and now large assortment of christmas beanies go up usually friday afternoon after thanksgiving. Outside stuff usually doesn't go up til mid-december due to vandals in our neighborhood that cops can't stop.

 

[Beauty]

LOL! I asked DH to put it up Sunday. He looked at me like I had lost my mind!! We put up one 10 foot tree in our den and one 8 foot tree in the living room. They are soooo gorgeous!!!!!!!

I really am in the Christmas Spirit this year and can't wait. We will probably put it up the first week in November.

 

[ShuisFan584]

We almost always put all the decorations up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. My mom also starts gradually putting presents under the tree about a week or 2 before Christmas.

 

[decker96]

My birthday is Dec. 2 and growing up, we always put the tree up on that day. I have continued the tradition with my DH and kids. I usually get the rest of the decorations out the weekend after Thanksgiving and we do the tree on the 2nd.
Presents don't come out at all. We spend Christmas at either my parents or my in-laws every year, so I wrap them and keep them in my closet. My kids are 7, 4 and 1 so I'm hoping in about 2 years I can start putting them under the tree as I wrap.