When should you decorate for Christmas?

[Damo]

So. When do you normally decorate for Christmas? Do you already have decorations up or are you waiting for December?

I'm debating on the last week of November or the beginning of December... What about you?

Use the poll

 

[gab]

A week or two before Christmas. Otherwise, if you do it much earlier, by the time the actual Christmas day arrives, you would be bored of it, the 'new factor' would be gone.

Superstores push for Christmas celebrations to start earlier and earlier, I am not giving into that.

 

[Naturebound]

I'm actually debating on whether to decorate at all. I came out as an atheist last year (which has been very hard for my Christian partner to bear). I decorated for years, usually three weeks before Christmas. I would like to keep up tradition, but he might not appreciate the hypocrisy. Then again maybe he would like it if I decorated for his sake. I'm dreading asking him about it because any time religion is brought up we fight, but I suppose sooner or later it's going to come up. :/

 

[gab]

Naturebound, I'm atheist as well, it is still a nice tradition to keep. Moreover it transcends Christianity: druids were doing decorated tees too.

So if you remove the religious connotations, it's a fun habit to keep: decorated tree mid December.

 

[Damo]

I'm actually debating on whether to decorate at all. I came out as an atheist last year (which has been very hard for my Christian partner to bear). I decorated for years, usually three weeks before Christmas. I would like to keep up tradition, but he might not appreciate the hypocrisy. Then again maybe he would like it if I decorated for his sake. I'm dreading asking him about it because any time religion is brought up we fight, but I suppose sooner or later it's going to come up. :/

I hope you work things out.

 

[Indee]

I just decorated this week . My niece and nephew love it .I was baby sitting and looking for something to do lol. But I don't think I would get into until December if it wasn't for the children .

 

[Jamie in Chile]

Naturebound, I think you should ask him about it. A good compromise might be to have an angel at the top of the tree, but also a figure of Richard Dawkins next to the angel. That way, it's fair for everyone.

 

[Jamie in Chile]

To answer the original question, I think strictly speaking you should be able to decorate your tree whenever pleases you. However, I suspect that's not the answer you're looking for, in which case:

Nov 25 - makes you look too keen
Dec 1 - 5 - spot on
December 15-20 - makes you look like a slacker to the people visiting you between Dec 5 and 15

 

[VeganFoodDaily]

I am off to a late start, this year. Just getting to it now.

A friend of mine made sure to have hers up before Thanksgiving dinner. That's a bit too early for me!

 

[gab]

The later, the better in my opinion. I put the tree up around 5th of December. The 'new' factor is already gone. The tree is like furniture now. Next year I will do it much later, maybe a day or two before Xmas.

 

[KLS52]

The day after Thanksgiving starts the official Christmas season for me although I’ve been listening to Christmas music for a few weeks now.

 

[PTree15]

The day after Thanksgiving starts the official Christmas season for me although I’ve been listening to Christmas music for a few weeks now.

I usually decorate the weekend after Thanksgiving. The Christmas music doesn't come out until I put up the tree, hehe.

 

[shyvas]

1st of December.

 

[KLS52]

Christmas music is timeless.

 

[shyvas]

Christmas music is timeless.

I thought that you'd pop up !

 

[PTree15]

I thought that you'd pop up !

I was thinking the same for our Christmas lover.

 

[shyvas]

I was thinking the same for our Christmas lover.

Yes, whisper Christmas and she pops out like a jack in the box.

 

[Nekodaiden]

I do not decorate at all for "Christ"mas nor celebrate it. It is a Holiday for those who believe they are made right with God not through repentance, forgiveness of their neighbor and doing what is right(as Christ preached), but rather that a man-God came down to be brutally murdered for original sin they aren't even responsible for. The so called "Christian" holidays are a mockery of Christ's teachings in favor of those by the murderer Saul/Paul, which is preached in most "Christian" churches. If my understanding of things is correct, it was originally the Catholic church's "Christianization" of Saturnalia, a pagan holiday.

 

[PTree15]

I do not decorate at all for "Christ"mas nor celebrate it. It is a Holiday for those who believe they are made right with God not through repentance, forgiveness of their neighbor and doing what is right(as Christ preached), but rather that a man-God came down to be brutally murdered for original sin they aren't even responsible for. The so called "Christian" holidays are a mockery of Christ's teachings in favor of those by the murderer Saul/Paul, which is preached in most "Christian" churches. If my understanding of things is correct, it was originally the Catholic church's "Christianization" of Saturnalia, a pagan holiday.

I'm not religious at all (I was raised Catholic), so for me, it's a secular holiday.

 

[KLS52]

In my opinion, people who cry, “the Christians stole our pagan holiday”, sound childish...like children who argue, “I had it first! It’s mine!” The same goes for Christians who get mad when Merry Christmas gets changed to Happy Holidays or when a public place won’t allow certain decorations. It’s all getting out of hand.

I celebrate Christmas, both the secular and the religious aspect of it. You can take away whatever you want from it but the spirit lives within, just like in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”. People need to chill. Life’s too short.