Welcome Wednesday: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

[#1]

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

I have discovered there seems to be two camps on this subject. Those who start putting up Christmas decorations the moment Halloween is over, and those that wait until Christmas Eve (yes I've exaggerated a little).

This has been a hot topic at work with some really strong memes.

Personally, I like to wait until the first of December with one exception. I'm my part the the world, there is always one “really” good weekend in November, if you don't put up outdoor lights then, you'll be doomed to put them up in an ice storm. I never turn them on (outside testing) until December and none of the indoor decorations will start going up until December.

My question for you this week: Where do you stand on this topic? Decorations as soon as possible? Or as late as possible?

Let me know in the comments below.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!

[Amanda Barber]

Haha, love all the memes, @Jimmy Seddon! Great topic, too. We always like to put up our tree and decorate the weekend after US Thanksgiving. This year, Thanksgiving falls earlier than some years so it's a little early for us yet, but I do love having a whole month of holiday decor and lights, so it works out! Plus, having a long weekend to get it done is the best!

This is probably the best week to put up our decorations outside, so we'll likely start that this weekend, but will wait to turn them on for another week. 

My coworker does these really amazing light shows - sadly we're in different states so I can't take my family to see them, but you can see his youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/@jbutter99 

[Sue Wilson]

Great topic, @Jimmy Seddon !!

Growing up, we always put up our tree & decorations a week before Christmas and took them down the weekend after New Year's Day.  When my kids were little, I changed the tradition to put everything up on Black Friday...usually found some good sales on decorations, then came home to put them up!  We still put everything away the weekend after New Year's.  Now, the kids are grown and I go to them for Christmas since they have littles of their own, so we put much less up, but still do it from Black Friday to New Year's weekend. 

Best Christmas Memory:  One year, when my son was about 18 months old, we weren't going to put up a tree at all.  I can't remember why, but at the very last minute, we changed our minds.  So there I was, on Christmas Eve, going from tree farm to tree farm with a toddler in tow, searching for a last minute tree.  It was literally 4:55pm (5 minutes til close) when the owner of one of the last tree farms in the area, with a heart full of Christmas spirit, practically gave me a beautiful Christmas tree!  He did not charge me an arm & a leg while most places wanted to scalp me since I waited last minute.  His kindness is one of the things I remember most about this story.  So, he ties the tree on top of the car for me, we go home, have dinner, playtime, etc., and I send the kids to bed.  Hubby got home from work around 11pm that night, so we pulled an all-nighter decorating the tree and wrapping gifts.  As tired as we were when our son got up at 6am, it was all washed away when he came downstairs, gasped, ran to the tree, and just stood there looking up at it in awe!!  I asked, "what do you think, bud?" to which he replied, "Santa knew I was a good boy, huh mama?"  The floodgates opened and, from that moment on, we never doubted having a tree again.  After the surprise tree, he enjoyed helping us decorate & helping Santa save time by doing the tree for him.  ;-)

[Rachel McDonald]

I'm of the camp that Christmas decorations go up after Thanksgiving....Christmas trees at Thanksgiving dinner is just weird.

The day/weekend after Christmas, I'm in full decoration mode. I'm in Florida, so we don't have to worry about snow/ice...just the occassional rain storm.

And decorations stay up until Epiphany/Three Kings Day....simply because taking down Christmas decorations is such a chore and it's a total bummer. So I hold out as long as I can. lol

[Randy O'Neal]

Outside decorating in good weather is a huge plus for me!  My wife likes to be able to throw the switch on Black Friday and see Christmas lights... and it's always a bit of a rush to make that happen.  We try to decorate Thanksgiving week; sometimes that happens, sometimes it's delayed... but that's usually our plan.

[Robert Wen_Cprime_]

I'm of the mindset that decorations go up after (American) Thanksgiving. 

The universe is conspiring against me though.  The radio station started playing holiday tunes 24/7 last week.

My neighbor is reusing his Halloween decorations.

[Summer Hogan]

Great question @Jimmy Seddon and I love all the memes! I typically take advantage of the 4 day weekend of US Thanksgiving and put up my decorations. I typically put up the outside decorations on Friday and the inside decorations on Saturday. I love having my decorations up for at least a month otherwise I don't find it worth it given all the time it takes to put everything up! I'm super excited for the holidays this year as last year at the end of the season I got some really nice stuff at clearance sales and also took advantage of numerous lightening deals throughout the year! I also did some really great DIY projects recently so I have lots of new stuff to use! I can't wait!  

[Carlos]

This can be so controversial! Haha. Usually, my family waits until the weekend after Thanksgiving, but as you said, we had a perfect weekend last weekend and at least put up the lights around the house then, which can be the most challenging thing, IMO. The tree will probably follow the day after Thanksgiving though! 

[Dam]

Christmas is a christian event, an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ. As I am not christian anymore since more than 20 years from now, I don't celebrate Christmas anymore. 

[Kate C_]

I put my decorations up 1st December, or the weekend closest to it. We don't have to worry about snowstorms in Australia, but it does get really hot so you want to put them up at a time that's not sweltering 🥵 I was quite excited to get a solar-powered echidna this year to go with my reindeer!

Like @Robert Wen_Cprime_ 's neighbour, last year I recycled some Halloween decor, even though it looked weird to have random skeletons up during November.

[Dominika Kuraś-Moskwa _Deviniti_]

I can truly say that the second part of the year is my fav. It begins with my bday (July) and then come fall with pumpkin spice everything, Halloween, and Christmas!

Usually, I want to enjoy the fall season (decorations, Gilmore Girls binge-watching, hot teas etc.) so I don't switch Halloween pumpkins with Santas and snowflakes. I prefer to enjoy the fall mood as long as possible but slowly participate in the Christmas fever. So buying another Christmas tree-scented candle handed a pumpkin spice latte is my tactic. I fully decorate the house at the beginning of December :) In Poland, we have a tradition of putting up the tree on Christmas Eve, but I am impatient so usually I decorate it after Saint Nicholas Day.

P.S. I am writing this while listening to my Christmas playlist 😂

[Anzar]

Marry Christmas!

[Sabrina Melo da Silva]

This is the best time of the year, so why not decorations as soon as possible? Happy holidays everyone!

[Halina Cudakiewicz_Deviniti_]

Great topic @Jimmy Seddon !

In Poland, there's no Thanksgiving, so we usually start decorating in December. Most people I know decorate in the second half of the month, some as late as on the 24th of December :)

[Sara Fossberg]

I like to decorate before 1st december, becauase in december it's supposed to be ready, and 1st december is already too close to christmas imo, haha. 
I know some start 1st november, but that's too early, I like to get started around now; sometime after 20th november (payday, haha). 

[Annapurna Rachakonda]

As I am from India, I am just done with my Diwali celebrations and waiting for New Year. Really it is nice to see how everyone is planning for thanks giving day and Christmas eve. I wish I could have been in United States to have a visualize feast of all the decorations. Anyways I wish everyone in well advance a Happy thanks giving day and Happy Christmas :)

[Sankar, Deepthy]

Great topic! This is my 2nd Christmas in Berlin and a time we look forward to as a family. The Weihnachtsmarkt has started at certain parts of the city and makes the city even more beautiful. 

[Prashanth]

Thank you! "Welcome Wednesday" is a cheerful way to acknowledge and greet the middle of the week.