How soon is too soon for Christmas? (1 Viewer)

[KardiacKat]

Everyone does it differently. I know people who totally bypass Halloween and start decorating for Christmas in mid-October. Others wait until the very last minute to throw a tree together, and it gets taken down and stored/trashed just as quickly. People who insist on real trees may wait until the first week or so of December so the tree stays fresh.

How do you do it? (North) Pole to follow.

 

[GeauxWhoDats]

If you are thinking about it now then it is too soon.

 

[LKN H20Girl]

It must wait til after Thanksgiving.

 

[Boudro]

If the stores had their way it would start in March.

 

[crosswatt]

The current state of the holiday season is, to me anyway, a complete microcosm of our society today. Thanksgiving is completely overshadowed by Halloween and Christmas. The two holidays that have become synonymous with acquiring stuff (candy, presents, etc) are completely voiding the one celebration meant solely for being grateful for the blessings in life. We want the newest and coolest things for Christmas, and greet each other with a customary “Merry Christmas; what did you get?” We want the costume parties and party atmosphere for the adults, and going around with the kids getting as much candy as is possible from whoever has the porch light on each Halloween. Yet the only preplanning or thoughts concerning Thanksgiving is the menu and location for the meal. I really despise what this season has become.

 

[livefromDC]

Thanksgiving use to be my favorite holiday. Family, great food, and Barry Sanders..err football. Now, I really look forward to Christmas. Like others, I was jaded about Christmas for some of the same reasons Crosswat expressed. The change of heart is due to my wife and daughter. Now I look forward to going with my daughter to pick out a tree and decorating it. Watching her and mommy make Christmas cookies, our annual Christmas pajamas picture. Oh and this year, now that we've moved back to New Orleans, we get to go to Christmas in the Oaks again for the first time since she was about 6 months! It's a bunch of little things that we do as a family over that month that makes it incredible. Yeah, for us it starts off with finding a tree right after thanksgiving, so its about a month. I've never really enjoyed the holidays until now.

 

[jrdbrn]

We throw the tree up the Saturday following Thanksgiving. Thats 1 full month of Christmas decorations. It comes down new years.

 

[KardiacKat]

The current state of the holiday season is, to me anyway, a complete microcosm of our society today. Thanksgiving is completely overshadowed by Halloween and Christmas. The two holidays that have become synonymous with acquiring stuff (candy, presents, etc) are completely voiding the one celebration meant solely for being grateful for the blessings in life. We want the newest and coolest things for Christmas, and greet each other with a customary “Merry Christmas; what did you get?” We want the costume parties and party atmosphere for the adults, and going around with the kids getting as much candy as is possible from whoever has the porch light on each Halloween. Yet the only preplanning or thoughts concerning Thanksgiving is the menu and location for the meal. I really despise what this season has become.

I see it differently. Although I agree with you that Christmas has, for many, become all about acquiring bigger/better/more, I think some people actually love the GIVING part of Christmas. For me, my favorite part is creating a festive atmosphere, which is why I posed the question. (I'm letting y'all talk me out of putting up a tree today.) I like the baking and the wrapping gifts. I like the twinkling lights. I'm not a religious person, but I'm not too commercial either. And the present I got on Christmas day last year at home was a house coat that I ordered myself and put their names on. I do love Halloween, but it's not about candy at my house. My son doesn't even care to trick-or-treat, and hasn't for a few years now. Never was a contest to see how much loot we could score. No pranks at my house either. It's just about some spooky fun and playing dress-up. As for Thanksgiving, it's a federally mandated national holiday, not a religious holiday. And for a lot of people, it is incredibly hectic and not much to look forward to. How many family arguments happen over the turkey? Or how many hurt feelings about whose house you are going to eat at this year? I can only speak for my family, but over the past several years I have really come to NOT look forward to it. But I'm sure many others enjoy it.

I appreciate you being the obligatory voice crying out against the rampant commercialism and stress of the holidays, but it's just like anything else. You can enjoy it as much as you WANT to enjoy it.

 

[Yatman]

The current state of the holiday season is, to me anyway, a complete microcosm of our society today. Thanksgiving is completely overshadowed by Halloween and Christmas. The two holidays that have become synonymous with acquiring stuff (candy, presents, etc) are completely voiding the one celebration meant solely for being grateful for the blessings in life. We want the newest and coolest things for Christmas, and greet each other with a customary “Merry Christmas; what did you get?” We want the costume parties and party atmosphere for the adults, and going around with the kids getting as much candy as is possible from whoever has the porch light on each Halloween. Yet the only preplanning or thoughts concerning Thanksgiving is the menu and location for the meal. I really despise what this season has become.

Scrooge.




j/k, actually lus-un2:

 

[buzd]

I'm letting y'all talk me out of putting up a tree today.

I, for one, think today would be a great day to put up your tree.


One year, we actually had our tree up for 15 months. Two Christmases, until my drunk college friends took it down and threw it in the backyard during Mardi Gras (where it was subsequently redecorated and stayed for another 6 months). This was a real tree (with no needles left, obviously). My family has some issues with Christmas.

 

[Galbreath34]

Definitely after the 4th of July. It's getting to be Labor Day if you go by Michaels. When I was in NOLA, it wal pretty much after Thanksgiving for me. Now that I live where it snows, any time after the first snow sticks is fair game. The first year I had my house that meant right after Halloween. I had to put up my roof lights that year and I wasn't going to get up there once it was all icy as ____.

Non-roof lights get unplugged after Epiphany, roof lights get unplugged and the rest pulled up once the snow melts (they were buried past Tax Day in 2008).

 

[whodatfever]

Thanksgiving is not a holiday. It's a meal. I've already started sending out Christmas cards (and I am getting unpleasant responses to those). I don't care if my friends think I'm crazy. I know I'm awesome and that's all that matters.

 

[Paul]

Thanksgiving use to be my favorite holiday. Family, great food, and Barry Sanders..err football. Now, I really look forward to Christmas. Like others, I was jaded about Christmas for some of the same reasons Crosswat expressed. The change of heart is due to my wife and daughter. Now I look forward to going with my daughter to pick out a tree and decorating it. Watching her and mommy make Christmas cookies, our annual Christmas pajamas picture. Oh and this year, now that we've moved back to New Orleans, we get to got to Christmas in the Oaks again for the first time since she was about 6 months! It's a bunch of little things that we do as a family over that month that makes it incredible. Yeah, for us it starts off with finding a tree right after thanksgiving, so its about a month. I've never really enjoyed the holidays until now.

Man, this sounds so familiar. I'd always loved the holiday season (Halloween through New Year's Day), as a kid. I would always declare September thru January to be my favorite time of the year. Once I turned 14, freshman in high school, it all just seemed irrelevant to me. Getting presents and stuffing your face, and I just couldn't get into it anymore. Besides, football season had become very important to me, and I couldn't care less about the holidays. Then, I met my wife, and we spent our first holiday season together, before getting married. She made Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's fun again, and my eyes were opened that people make these days special, not the food, not the presents.
Then, the kids came, and I love being a parent, especially during this time of the year. We've started our own traditions as a family, and my kids are involved with it all - making cookies, decorating the tree and house, helping out with Thanksgiving dinner, they love all the holiday movies, and they especially love travelling to either Texas or Georgia to spend time with their grandparents.

To answer the original question - whatever floats your boat. We like to fully acknowledge the holiday at hand, so November is for Thanksgiving. The decorations and tree get taken down the day after Thanksgiving, and normally put up within the next week, and December belongs to Christmas. Fireworks are purchased during the week of Christmas, and we love to light the sky up when the clock strikes 12. Whatever works for you.

I do prefer it to feel like the holidays - weather-wise (cold, bitter-cold, even ), but growing up in SELA, well, most of the time, you just have to roll with it.

 

[KardiacKat]

Do your thang, baby.

 

[Goats]

Lowes and Home Depot had Christmas crap up two weeks before Halloween, thats just rediculous. It really ****** me off when people start turning on their Christmas lights before Thanksgiving.