When do you put up/out your Christams decorations?

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Finella

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Hi again!

Just wondering when you all start decorating for Christmas? If you have an artificial tree, when does it go up? When do you start turning on the outdoor Christmas lights?

My neighbor and I had an unspoken competition to see who’s tree went up first… I won with the day after Halloween. I refuse to do it any earlier, lol.

I absolutely love Christmastime. I actually chose green as my main wall color so it would go with Christmas, lol.

I’d love to hear from you about this, as well as any special traditions you and your family have.

Please do not slam me for not recognizing the importance of the Mass and celebrating the birth of Jesus. I am only talking about decorations in this thread:)

Finella
 
I absolutely love Christmastime, too! and I love the decorations and lights, but I happen to be one of those procrastinators who tends to get everything up at the last minute, and then I keep everything up way too long!! 😃
 
Ours goes up at the start of Advent. I like to acknowledge the beginning of the waiting period for Christmas and let the excitement build.

So usually on the first weekend of December I drag out the tree (plastic).
 
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NightRider:
I absolutely love Christmastime, too! and I love the decorations and lights, but I happen to be one of those procrastinators who tends to get everything up at the last minute, and then I keep everything up way too long!! 😃
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Good point… I should also ask when do you all take your decorations down?

Finella

I have such a hard time putting them away!
 
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Philip76:
Ours goes up at the start of Advent. I like to acknowledge the beginning of the waiting period for Christmas and let the excitement build.

So usually on the first weekend of December I drag out the tree (plastic).
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Very logical:D
 
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Finella:
Good point… I should also ask when do you all take your decorations down?

Finella

I have such a hard time putting them away!
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I have a hard time putting them away, too! Last year they stayed up until the end of January!!! :bigyikes: Maybe I’ll try to get them up a little earlier this year!!
 
I’m often on holidays soon after Christmas so I take them down when I get home. Usually at the Epiphany (January 6), certainly by the end of January.
 
I do it later, so I won’t get all Christmas’d out. I want to make it a habit of keeping decorations out until January 6th, but I have to admit I a little akward being the last one on the street with them up.
 
I don’t like when holidays run together. I don’t decorate for Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving at the earilest. I try to take them down in the beginning of January, but sometimes I’m lazy and don’t get to it until the end of the month. 🙂
 
Usually I’ll start getting stuff out around the 1st Sunday of Advent: the tree will usually go up then, even if it doesn’t get decorated for a couple of weeks, then the door wreath and the Nativity scene. The Advent wreath is always the first thing, though. All of it stays out until Jan. 6th. We’re Catholics, we get to celebrate Christmas for that long, might as well enjoy it!

We might actually get lights on the outside of the house this year. Last year we were too lazy. 😃
 
Day after Thanksgiving through the week after Christmas, but always before Jan. 1 (like to start the new year out with a clean house - back into the boxes it all goes) But the outdoor lights stay on until the middle of February. It’s too dreary in Illinois without them. 🙂

Merry Christmas,
CM
 
do you mean people actually take them down? wow, what a concept.
 
I wait until the “O Antiphons” start - which is 17 Dec. to put things up and I take them down at the end of Christmas season - 10 Jan for the coming season.
 
I’m with David.
About 2 wks before Christmas.
But I HATE it that people have to rush the season (only possible now because of artificial trees) and then get everything packed right after Christmas. Whatever happened to waiting for the Wisemen to arrive on January 6?
 
OK…I know I am the oddball in this thread, but I am thinking about starting after halloween. The reason is, I like decorating the outside of my house with garland and lights wrapped within the garland. I would much rather do them in the beginning of November, than in late November/early December. I don’t want to be doing it while I freeze my you-know-what off.

I probably wouldn’t turn the lights on until Thanksgiving though.

P.S. It’s fake garland, so it won’t be brown by Christmas.
 
Growing up in India we always cleaned the house and put up decorations on the 24th of December. The decorations then stayed up till Epiphany (when the kings are put in the manger)

Coming to Canada (@20), have found it too commercialised with decorations up in October.

However, we have stuck with putting up our tree and decorations on the weekend around Dec15.
I bring up a few things before the start of advent like the advent wreath ( buy new candles- 3purple, 1pink,a white pillar candleofr Christmas day) and the manger advent calendar.
Our outdoor lights are normally on Dec 20 to Jan2 and that includes the outdoor manger scene (Though DH never got around to taking done the lights last year so they are still up, just a matter of plugging them in)
And all this comes down after Ephiphany.
Since the house feels so bare and ds mentioned it 2 years ago I have resorted to switching to Winter decorations after the Christmas stuff comes down - snowmen,…
 
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pprimeau1976:
I would much rather do them in the beginning of November, than in late November/early December. I don’t want to be doing it while I freeze my you-know-what off.
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Yeah, that is a concern here in Michigan. 😛

We have a number of neighbors that string their lights up in October or November but don’t turn them on until after Thanksgiving. I can certainly understand their logic, especially when we have one of those fun winters where it’s snowing by Halloween.
 
Day after Thanksgiving the (fake) garland goes on the mantle and the wreath I made (thanks, Martha Stewart!) goes above the fireplace.

Advent wreath and nativity come out first Sunday of Advent (minus Baby Jesus, of course). The Wise Men are put on a windowsill across the room from the nativity.

Miscellaneous decorating goes on during the next two weeks.

Tree (real) goes up the weekend before Christmas, lights and ornaments go on the day after the tree is up (so the boughs can settle).

Christmas Eve after everyone is in bed Baby Jesus goes in the manger and the German pickle ornament goes on the tree (an old German family tradition).

The week after Christmas the Wise Men begin their journey toward the manger (from across the room).

Wise Men arrive at the manger on Epiphany.Tree comes down after Epiphany. Rest of decorations come down the week after or so.

I like doing things gradually so that every aspect is meaningful for my family.

One new thing I am doing this year is using a menorah for the O Antiphons.

'thann
 
I never take mine down. I keep all of my seasonal decorations up all the time. Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Newyears. All up, 24/7/365
 
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Apologia100:
I never take mine down. I keep all of my seasonal decorations up all the time. Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Newyears. All up, 24/7/365
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Now there’s a guy who’s efficient… 😉
 
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