• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

How early do you put up your Christmas decorations, or generally begin to get into the Christmas spirit?

How early do you put your Christmas decorations up?

  • I mentally move onto Christmas ASAP; get the decorations up straight after Halloween!

    Votes: 1 5.6%

  • I decorate at the start of December, but don’t start celebrating before.

    Votes: 10 55.6%

  • I’m a traditionalist; I have the decorations up for the 12 days of Christmas and not a moment before

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Bah humbug! I can’t be bothered to decorate or get into the Christmas spirit.

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • I don’t celebrate Christmas

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Other

    Votes: 3 16.7%

  • Undecided

    Votes: 1 5.6%
  • Total voters
    18
Matt N

Matt N

TS Member
Favourite Ride
VelociCoaster (Islands of Adventure)
As many of the theme parks have now closed, we’re getting nearer and nearer to the end of the year, and resultantly, the Christmas season is drawing ever closer. But with it being the middle of November, we aren’t quite in the throes of advent just yet… yet when me and my mum went to town to do a spot of recycling yesterday, we saw not one, but two houses on our way there that had huge, inflatable Christmas displays up in their front garden! My view is very much of the “each to their own” mentality… but this sent my mum into a 10-minute rant on why Christmas decorations shouldn’t go up before December, and when we got home and she told my dad, he had very similar views! With the Christmas season seemingly starting ever earlier each year, with many putting up their decorations before December and Christmas food and such seemingly being sold in supermarkets earlier than ever, I’d be intrigued to know; how early do you put up your Christmas decorations, or generally begin to get into the Christmas spirit? Are you a traditionalist who has your decorations up for the 12 days of Christmas and not a moment before, or are you someone who embraces the newfound tradition of early Christmas and puts up their decorations in November? Or are you someone who doesn’t decorate or embrace the season at all?

Personally, as you can probably tell by my above post, our Christmas decorations never go up before 1st December, and my parents have had a long-held belief that Christmas festivities should not be started prior to the start of December. Traditionally, I would say that the second weekend of December, or some time during the first full week in December, is par for the course for our decorations to go up, and they always come down at some point around New Year (my dad’s birthday is 5th January, and they’re always put away again by then). Each to their own and all that, but personally, I think the novelty would wear off after a while if my decorations went up before December; if your decorations go up in mid-November and you take them down in January, you’re knocking on having your decorations up for 15-20% of the year! If I lived on my own rather than with my parents as I do currently, I sometimes think I wouldn’t decorate, but it is quite nice having the house looking all festive, so I might perhaps do some minimal decoration. I don’t think I’d decorate to the more elaborate level that my parents do, though.

But I’d be intrigued to know; how early do your Christmas decorations go up? How early do you get into the Christmas spirit? Are you someone who errs towards putting up in December? Or are you someone who goes early? Or do you not put up decorations or celebrate at all? I’d love to know!
 
Other. You have a big gap here that I hope most sane people fall into. The 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas day and end early in the new year. That's too late, but the start of December is far too early.

We go about earlier now we have a little one, somewhere around the 10th to 15th seems OK. If it's dragged out too long it takes away from it being special at actual Christmas.

I have no respect for anyone putting them up in November and I won't be their friend. Anyone playing Christmas music in Novermber is my enemy.

At the other end, leaving Christmas decorations up into the second week of January should be a criminal offence.
 
I thought the traditionalist model was to take the decorations DOWN by the 12th day but putting them up was the first day of advent as this is a Sunday when people wouldn't be working?
 
Oh I love these debates.
Many argue the first night is Christmas Eve, hence the 5th/6th debate for 12th night.
Decorations may stay up until Candlemas according to the church...and we should play by their rules really...which is Feb 2nd, and the day we take next years household candles to church to be blessed for the following winter...and so on.

Baubles, all I can say, since the new rules came in.
I miss flipping swearing on here...
 
Mrs has gotten quite excited for it all this year. Blame the young'un on that one.

Usually convince her to put stuff up as close to December as possible depending on how the days fall. So this year would be the 29/30th Nov if I had my way. I feel it'll be earlier at the moment but if I don't have to do anything then I'm happy.
 
Advent officially starts the fourth Sunday before Christmas which is 30th November this year so I'll be doing it then. Advent Calendars get opened the next day so seems sensible having the decorations up at the same time. Plus that weekend my daughters mum is abroad so we'll have a nice weekend together, including visiting Winter Wonderland so all fits in together.

Annoying thing is having to wait until the council release their Christmas Tree recycling dates before I can take it all down.
 
We tend to get our tree the first full weekend in December (i.e. not 1st Dec if that's a Sunday). That's not entirely down to choice, we found if we left it any later there's literally nothing left but a few sad wonky twigs. I don't remember that being an issue when I was a child and my parents would always wait until school finished to go and buy a tree.
 
My family would generally put it up in December, but I wouldn't bother if I was living alone.
 
Back when I was living at home, we'd put the decorations up gradually over the course of December, and the tree would usually be decorated on one evening (in later years when it was just me with my parents). That was always a really nice way of kicking things off. I make a point of not listening to Christmas music until it hits December (and 'Fairytale of New York' has to be the first song, because reasons), but it's a bit different when it comes to church stuff, as that can often necessitate listening to stuff in mid-November, but that's fine - I think that's arguably a valid exception to the general rule!

Last year, I put my tree up on the first Saturday of December. It seemed like a convenient time to do it, plus I was killing time while waiting for the engineer from Virgin Media to come and sort my internet out. :p Didn't really do a huge amount more in terms of decorating for Christmas last year, as it seemed a bit much when it's just me in the house, but I may get some more bits this year now I'm more settled.
 
We don't decorate...no kids, can't be bothered.
Amusingly, a few years ago, out to tea in a local pub...free Christmas raffle for diners.
Phone call a week later...second and third prizes.
Lots of wooden decorations and a wood advent calendar.

New Year tinder and kindling.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top