It is hard to believe that December is already here. It is time to get decorating for Christmas and asking Alexa to play Christmas songs. Or is it? Maybe I am too late. The stores have had their Christmas decorations up and Christmas carols playing for several weeks now. Actually, right after Halloween. I suppose because Halloween and Christmas are the money-making holidays and Thanksgiving is not. The IG content creators tell me that many of the items they were going to share are already sold out. People have sunk into Christmas in October and simply bypassed autumn and Thanksgiving.
We had an interesting conversation at the Thanksgiving table this year. People debated the merits of putting up your tree before or after Thanksgiving. Christmas is probably the biggest, most favored holiday of the year and several people wanted to enjoy the twinkle lights for as long as possible. Others felt like fall and Thanksgiving deserved to be celebrated fully first.
The lovely couple we visited with across the table from us, were on two different sides of the fence. She was ready to put the tree up weeks ago, and he was in the camp that wants to wait until after Thanksgiving. It was a fun conversation, and I am happy to say that no one whipped out their phone to determine the majority of people’s answer to this question.
Which side of the fence are you?
Personally, I am on the side of the fence that believes in waiting until after Thanksgiving. This started out of necessity many years ago when all of the kids were at home. We usually had the three days after Thanksgiving off from work and school, so it was the perfect time to pull out the Christmas boxes and get started. Besides, I love autumn and Thanksgiving and do not want to rush past them. But there is something special about the generosity and spirit of Christmas that pulls me. So, the day after Thanksgiving, watch out! I will be hauling out boxes, lighting candles and singing “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas…”
Our little city kicks off the Christmas season with an annual parade, fireworks and a tree lighting ceremony. I am glad they wait until the Friday after Thanksgiving to do this. It is a great way to commence the season. We were fortunate to be invited to our DIL’s mother’s condo to have snacks, sip hot cider and observe the festivities from a bird’s eye view.
So, which side of the fence are you on? And since our Canadian neighbors celebrate Thanksgiving in October, how do they decide when to put up their Christmas decorations? It is Monday, December 1st as I write this post and all of my Christmas decorations were put up over the weekend. l am retired now but old habits are hard to break. Besides I like the tradition of putting up the Christmas decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving. We don’t have the Christmas tree up yet though. We still need to decide whether we are going real or fake this year. Of course that is a whole other debate for another day.
I hope you enjoy the festivities of preparing for this season of warmth and goodwill, whichever side of the fence you are on.
Cheers to the retirement years!
My wife and I are in agreement on this one. We LOVE the autumn and Thanksgiving season. Halloween? Not so much. So, we leave our autumn decorations to stand alone through Thanksgiving. Then we like a few days of no holiday decorations just to “clear the palate” so to speak. We will put up our Christmas decorations a couple of weeks before the holiday and then leave some of them until Epiphany. The tree itself usually comes down earlier, though. We both look forward to that feeling when all of the holiday decorations are GONE and our place is back to normal!
Hi Don!
As much as I love the twinkle lights and Christmas opulence, I am also ready to take the decorations down and get things back to normal after the holidays. For us, that is right after New Year’s Day. After that point, they start to feel a little suffocating, and I am ready to “clear the palate.” I like that description.
P.S. My wife has actually been known once or twice to take down our tree and put away those ornaments in the afternoon on CHRISTMAS DAY 😄.
She was definitely ready to “clear the palate” early!
As soon as there’s snow on the ground (that stays), the snowman cookie jar is set on the counter. Dec 1 is the start of holiday decor at my house in NE Alberta. The exterior Christmas lights were put out when the weather was still mild but didn’t get plugged in until Dec 1. One of my traditions is to chop down a tree on my property so it doesn’t get put up until the week before Christmas. It usually stays up ’til Jan 1 or 2 depending upon how many needles are on the floor. The glow of the lights is welcome when it’s dark by 5pm. Only a few more weeks until the winter solstice. Many folks in town were lit up for the winter parade the local town hosted the end of Nov. Your picture of the kids bundled up on the balcony is precious.
Hi Mona!
A snowman cookie jar sounds like a great seasonal tradition. I bet the littles in your life know just where to find it. We are putting up our tree this week. We went with a fresh one again this year. I forgot about all of the needles though… thanks for that little reminder. 😊
Wonderful holiday, family pics! They warm the heart.
I only appreciate Christmas music 🎶 during the month of December.
Hi Janie!
I think it makes it more special when it is limited to a short time of year. Merry Christmas!