ILONA ANDREWS

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    • I think the tree can go up whenever you’re ready—who cares when that is! My artificial tree is currently put up and strung with lights, but I haven’t decked it out yet. But Christmas/holiday music doesn’t start until the day after Thanksgiving.

      • Ok This I can agree to. The tree is decor and can be decorated for any reason. Holiday music on the other hand…………..

      • I put mine up early this year too, in mid-November. The weather was chilly and Christmas music had started, so I just went for it and put all my Christmas decorations up. First time I didn’t wait for December.

      • I’m the opposite. I start playing Christmas music after Halloween, but the tree goes up after Thanksgiving. Whatever you prefer is probably the correct answer.

        • Okay, I confess, only some Christmas music is fair game for me before Thanksgiving. Some of the classical music from back in the day is really beautiful.

    • Yup. Especially in the age of pandemic where everything is hard. If folks want to bring joyful things, let them have joyful things.

      • +1 This. If it brings you happiness to put it up, then go for it! I think right now there’s more people than normal that already have it up, just because they need it. You do you and what makes you happy. (Unless it severely makes the rest of your household unhappy, then compromise.) ????

      • 100% agree. I live in SoCalif and there are people who have their outdoor lights up and turned on. Makes me smile whenever I see them and in these days? That’s a fine and wonderful thing ????

        • Same here in NorCal, but here it’s clearly about Diwali, the Festival of Light, not (yet) Christmas.

    • This is what my adult son tells me every year to get out of helping me pack it up and put it away after the new year.

    • If a write-in option had been offered, I would have replied “Do you mean some people take them down?”

    • Exactly, I had my tree(s)…I may have purchased a white tree and a black tree this year in addition to my silver tree…around Halloween this year because I was having a bad day and needed the pick me up of my pretty trees. I also leave them up through February because I visit people during December and I don’t get to see them!

    • Mine has been up for 10 years (since the Christmas after we moved here). My kids say “It’s our thing”

    • Living in the Netherlands, we have national holiday Sinterklaas on December 5th. Once that’s done, put up the tree. So arbitrary day in December it is!

      • Yeah, same in Italy. December, 8th, is a national holiday and the day traditionally you put up your tree and the town halls light up their cities (both with a huge trees and lights up around main streets). But I answered with the last option 😀

    • Yeah, I don’t think putting a real live tree up too soon is good, unless you’re diligent about keeping it watered and using whatever that stuff is that’s supposed to keep the needles from falling too much/too early.

      A better question might be, how much time do you want to give your cat/dog/squirrel to create havoc on the tree?

  4. I have Dutch heritage so I like to have the tree up by Sinterklaasavond (St. Nicholas Eve) which is December 5th.

  5. My sister in law puts it up October 1st. My brother put his foot down cause she wanted to do it in August. They compromised. October 1-January 31

    • I set up the tree the day after Thanksgiving and, like your sister in law, I keep it lit up until January 31. The tree and ornaments add cheer to an otherwise chill and uncelebrated month. The twinkling candy colored lights make me happy 😉

  6. In our family, the tradition was to drive to the mountains on the day after Thanksgiving to buy our tree.

    Now that my parents have a grandchild they are more likely to see at T’giving rather than Christmas, my mother puts up her Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving.

    Christmas is a happy time of year. It’s colorful. It tastes good and smells good, looks good and sounds good. Given the events of the last two years, I’m FIRMLY of the opinion that it can never be too early to deck the halls for Christmas if doing so will make you happy. Now more than ever, we need more happy. So decorate early and enjoy it!

  7. I used to be firmly and fiercely Day after Thanksgiving, but this year I’ve already got lights up. I need a little Christmas, right this very minute.

  8. Normally day after Thanksgiving but in covid universe, it goes up once the weather turns gray, cold, and rainy – mid-November. I need the color.

    • We always put up the artifical tree on Friday after Thanksgiving but I say do it whenever you feel like launching the holiday season.

      Our six year old saw Christmas decorations going up around the neighborhood last week and was pretty outraged that Thanksgiving was being skipped. “Thanksgiving is the most important holiday because we are supposed to be grateful!”

      The tree is there for your joy & enjoyment. It’s a lot of work to put up & take down so however long it makes the effort worth it to you.

  9. Thanksgiving is in October, before Halloween in Canada.. so I think that might be too early. But I like to decorate mid November.

  12. Whenever you want to put up your tree or Christmas decorations, it’s up to you. My oldest brother would play Christmas songs all year long if my sister-in-law would let him. 😀

    Me? I didn’t put one up or any Christmas decorations for a few years since it reminded me too much of when my mom left this Earth. I put one up last year and had a big smile on my face. However, what really got me into the decorating last year was finding a Peanuts nativity scene on Lenox’s website. It’s so darn stinking cute! 🙂

  13. We like to put ours up on the day after Thanksgiving and we take it down the day after New Years. Any longer and it somehow becomes less . . . special.

  14. It really depends on if it’s a real tree or a synthetic one. Real trees become fire hazards over time. Synthetic ones – whenever makes you happy!

  15. We used to wait until the last week before Christmas. My dad always wanted a live tree, the bigger the better. Twenty-feet tall was about right. In the city, those big trees were sold to malls and other large businesses. Way out of our price range. He always waited until they went on sale.

    Now, we still wait until the last week. That’s when the kids come home from college and can participate. The tree stays up until after they go home.

  16. I have a friend whose husband’s Star Trek tree stays up all year. In his Star Trek room.
    My DH despises putting the tree up and taking it down, even when I do 90% of the work. The older I get, the fewer decorations I want to deal with, but I’m not as rabid about it as my husband. I’m experimenting this year with waiting until he decides he’s ready. Might be 2022!
    As a kid my family’s record was putting the tree up on the 24th and taking it down on New Year’s Day.
    These days I’m happy with any time in December.
    My suggestion, though, is the same as what has already been espoused. It’s your home and your happiness. Have your tree up for as long as you all can agree on. I look forward to living vicariously through your tree photos.

  17. I grew up with more traditional tree timing and I’ve pretty much stuck that way. Roughly twelve days before and after (though as a young child we’d keep the decorations up until my birthday on the 8th).
    In fairness I get a bit fed up seeing things for Christmas appearing from mid-October and then the build-up going non-stop – it gives me festive fatigue and I love Christmas so it’s extra annoying that they overdo it so much that you get peeved instead of anticipatory. The shops and adverts are so in your face it’s overwhelming rather than beguiling.
    My sister-in-law had their tree up since October though and my other brother and his girlfriend never even bother decorating!
    Do what suits you ????

    • I always feel for the poor retail people. Elevator music is bad enough but Jingle Bells on repeat would make me want to committ murder.

      Saying that, I love Christmas.

  19. We start decorating after Thanksgiving. However, the tree doesn’t go up until December as we don’t take it down until after Twelfth Night/Epiphany (January 6th).

  20. If you have an artificial tree, put it up whenever you like.

    I don’t like killing a live tree for a celebration, especially since with climate change we need every tree possible to help stem the tide.

    However, if you have a real tree outside, I’m a big fan of decorating live trees that stay alive to be decorated again next year. Leave the lights up all year and plug them in when your neighborhood collectively agrees to start decorating.

    • Eric, it might help to know that trees absorb the most carbon dioxide in the first ten years of life, so as long as you get a smallish cut tree, you are actually encouraging more CO2 absorption than otherwise as the growers plant replacements. Merry Christmas!

      • Greetings Trailing Wife,

        That is good to know. As long as providers are replanting trees, it might be helpful.

        I still prefer not to kill trees as part of a celebration. Science has been making great strides in showing that many trees are actually social beings, and communicate with other trees around them.

  21. You can’t go wrong with the day after Thanksgiving, but also, you get to do whatever the hell you want in your own home. The joys of adulthood!

  22. My husband is adament about it not going up before Thanksgiving but since I had our son last year, I do not want to put it up until after his birthday, which is December 5th. I want seperation between his birthday and any holidays.

    • My Birthday is December 6th and growing up we always had the tree up before my birthday. I loved it, friends come over the party (decorations for this was always in the kitchen dining, where the party food was) and they’d look in the lounge room and be so excited because our tree was up.

      Maybe it was an Australian thing but a lot of trees didn’t go up until school holidays started which was around 15th December.

      Is thanksgiving celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November? I googled it and there was a couple of different dates 🙁

  23. Cdn here. Our Thanksgiving is in October so that’s waaayyy too early.

    We get around to the tree some day in December when we are feeling it’s time. No set time but all at once, we KNOW it’s time.

    However, if you are talking about outdoor Christmas lights there is a rule: NEVER before December 1st. This sometimes involves whining and sighing because there might be a beautifully sunny and warm day in November that’s just perfect for the engineering work, but NO! NO!

    • If weather is a potential problem waiting till 12/1 to put up the outdoor lights, then perhaps doing it on a nice day in November, but not turning them on till Dec. 1, would be the best solution.

  24. Whenever you want. I have friends who put up christmas in October. My parents have outside decorations up and christmas going up inside now. My husband likes to put our stuff up day after thanksgiving, only because I am a halloween person…..He would leave the tree up all year if he could but the dogs might argue since tree blocks their view of the window.

  25. The real question is – is it real or fake? Fake trees can go up whenever, real trees need water and can die and become fire hazards if put up too soon or too late.

  27. I put mine up after Thanksgiving, which is what I answered. But truthfully, whenever the hell you want if it’s artificial and not a fire hazard.

    I had an interesting growing up experience. My dad got a freezer from the side of the road at some point and stuck it in the living room. I’m not sure what the grand plan was. At any rate, it was where the Christmas tree was supposed to go. My mother decided to roll with it, decorated the thing, and stuck all our presents in it. She called it the “treezer”. I think it stayed decorated for a good three months. I can’t recall how many Christmases we had a treezer, but it looms large in my mind. I want to say at least 2.

    So you will find no judgment here – put up that tree if it’s what you want to do.

      • For a couple of years in my mid teens after my grandparents passed (they would have been shocked!) my mum had an artificial mango tree in her front room so instead of using a normal tree she decorated that for Christmas with tinsel, lights and baubles.
        Me and middle brother were embarrassed (teenagers!) but my youngest brother (toddler) adored it and I guess I do recall it quite fondly now. The large plastic mangoes gave it a particularly bold look!

  29. In Catholic countries colonized by Spain and in Spain, the tree is put up in Dec 8th, the Day of the Immaculate, though the tree is a “new thing”, since the really traditional still prefer the Nativity scene, with little baby Jesus in his crib, St Joseph, Mary, the shepherds and the animals. In any case, both things go up on the Day of the Immaculate, December 8th
    PS: It seems it’s also an Italian tradition… https://mamalovesitaly.com/italian-christmas-traditions/

    • My favourite is the Catalan nativity figure of the Caganer hehehe. I am clearly 5 years old ????

      • OMG! HAHAHAHA I don’t know why, I wouldn’t have thought of it as your fav figure, right Mod R? hahaha ????????????

    • I can confirm it: I’m Italian and we put our tree up on December 8th!
      Some years when there was a long weekend just before the 8th and we really wanted the Christmas vibes, my sister and I would decorate the tree before the “official day”, with Christmas songs playing continuously until the tree is complete ????

  30. My Mom has a little Christmas tree indoors which has white lights Jan 1 – Thanksgiving, then color lights for the holidays. Same with her patio lights and outside trees and windows. Her white path lights are also changed to changing colors for the holidays.
    It gives her pleasure to have the indoor and patio trees lit up year round.

  31. We used to do the day after Thanksgiving, but now after these last couple of years, I could do with a little cheer early.

    I say whenever you want it up. If it makes you and your family go for it.

    Lots and lots of lights and ornaments.

  32. 2020 got a full pass on Christmas decorations going up as soon as anyone cared to. 2021 I’m personally holding out until day after Thanksgiving, but I’m also of a mind that extra cheer will not go amiss. I get less judge-y about this sort of thing as I age.

  33. Whenever the person feels like it. If it gives you joy, why not? Life is to short to worry over when someone else puts up their Christmas tree.

  34. I’ve had fairy lights up since the start of the pandemic. Whatever gets you through. The tree will go up 1 December

  35. My sister is a firm Day After Thanksgiving person because everyone is home and can help. I’m a first day of December person myself since I need a little recovery time between cooking the big meal and pulling out all of the decorations.

  36. Usually the last weekend in November or 1st weekend in December. Definitely not until after Remembrance Day, Nov. 11.

  37. Christmas doesn’t start until Christmas Eve. Then it last 12 days until Epiphany on January 5th. So, while decorate on the first Sunday of Advent, my tree doesn’t get decorated until Christmas Eve. I go to Mass and then while having wine and a cheeseboard, I decorate my tree.

  40. We actually put up the tree the weekend before Christmas because I am a daughter of a teacher who never had time until school let out. But I do think before Thanksgiving is a bit much.

    • Of course I did have a mini tree from 2020 on the mantle into September so I can’t claim consistency here.

  42. I used to have very specific thoughts on this subject. Then, about 6 years ago, I spent some of November in Costa Rica, for work. It took my friends there about 3 days to convince me I was completely wrong. Put up the tree when you feel like it. Take it down when you feel like it. There shouldn’t be rules for Christmas decorations. We should do what feels right to us.
    Pura Vida

  44. I think the first of December is a good day, or if not that the first weekend of December. You can put the tree up earlier but I get personally offended at people who start Christmas before Thanksgiving and genuinely ticked off at people who start Christmas immediately after Halloween. There’s one radio station in my hometown that plays all Christmas songs from Nov.1-Dec. 25 every year, and I hate it. It got me so sick of the songs I don’t listen to that channel for two months straight.

  45. Also night of Thanksgiving is fine in my opinion.
    Sometimes the Christmas trees turn into a Mardi Gras tree.

  46. My birthday is December 3 so the tree isn’t allowed to go up until at least December 4. I don’t expect anyone except myself to follow this rule.

  49. One of my best friends said that the Xmas season officially starts when Santa Claus appears at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. I like the idea that Thanksgiving should be celebrated for itself, but YMMV.

  50. I don’t really care when others put up their trees, but Thanksgiving is important family time for my extended family so I think it deserves its own time. Indoor Christmas decorations have to wait until after Thanksgiving. (Outdoor decorations go up whenever the weather is likely to be least miserable)

  52. We don’t do Thanksgiving where I live but have St Nicolas instead on the 6th of December, to give kids gifts (it’s like the OG father Santa), Christmas is more for giving each other gifts.
    As such most families only put up the Christmas tree after the 6th…. In the US maybe after Thanksgiving would make the same kid of sense…

  53. As I Canadian I strongly encourage the time between Halloween and Remembrance Day (Nov 11) to be for reflection and to honour our vets NOT TO RASHLY SPLASH HOLIDAY items all around the stores . In your own home do what you want please it is your palace.

  54. If it’s artificial, whenever you want. If it’s a (formerly) living tree, the later the better to keep it fresh. We don’t start Christmas decorating until the beginning of Advent, with the tree coming much later. However, we also like to leave our tree up for the twelve days of Christmas.

  55. I live in NZ. Our family rules have always been Christmas tree up no sooner than 1 Dec and down by 5 Jan (the down date is something to do with 12 days of Christmas I think…). We’ve out the tree up later in recent years as we’ve had a real one. Covid is suddenly in the community in NZ and a real thing for us now instead of the abstract concept it was for most of 2020 and 2021. We are now at home self isolating after a case at the girls’ school. I find I want the tree now!! This very instant! Comfort factor I think. Alas we’re not allowed to leave the house to get one!

  56. Usually a day or 3 after Thanksgiving but to each their own. What gets me is the stores. I call it Happyhallothanksmas because they just roll all the holidays together. I go look for Halloween decorations end of September beginning of October and everything is Christmas.

  57. It depends on if it’s natural or artificial. Artificial – you do whatever makes you happy. Natural, wait a while so you don’t have a crispy decorated fire hazard on Christmas day.

  58. Normally I’m a 1 December girl, but this year…. it’s up already! A little Christmas to cheer up the year.

  59. I have never had a tree myself (single, apartment dweller) but I have many Christmas themed things that get put out Dec 1st: place mats, dish towels, candles, and I scatter Christmas balls all over my book cases and in glass bowls around the apartment instead of on a tree. That’s a bit too much work these days so now several ornaments remain year-round discretely hanging of the edges of picture frames. There is also one food-themed ornament in a corner of the kitchen. As a previous commenter astutely pointed out: you get to do whatever the hell you want in your own home. Whatever makes you happy and brings you comfort. Especially in these pandemic times.

  60. We have the house decorated but the tree has lights on after a fresh purchase due the old one not working this year. Tinsley is in place now we just need to bauble-ify it. That will be tomorrow after the garden centre visit to see of we can get new Christmas items ????????

    Have fantastic weekend all

  61. I did vote for obituary in December before Christmas but I do admit that last year we purchased a fake tree, it was so pleasing to have it up with the lights and all that we just left it up. Now its all ready to decorate whenever we decide to add that dash of Christmas. I’m hoping to actually take it down this time after Christmas.
    Our dog keeps hitting it with her tail every time she passes it and she’s happily wagging away.

  63. Life too short—put up the tree whenever it feels right to you, and if anyone questions it, tell them it’s tradition, lol.

  64. I don’t Christmas tree shame. But I do point out that a dry Christmas tree goes up like tinder — if you’re going to use a real tree, please keep it well watered.

  66. I know at least 1 person who keeps his up year ’round for when his daughter visits(he’s 70 plus yso). When it went up in our family, it was determined to be on my Dec. 16th birthday. When I got married, I gave up against the cats toppling it, batting around the ornaments, and the dogs tearing up the tree!

  67. My husband would like it to be after Thanksgiving. But we (me and the children) will put it up right after Halloween.
    I grew up in the Caribbean we didnt have Thanksgiving so its not something I celebrated until I married my husband. But then he was deployed so often me and the kids had small meals that day unless we went to see extended family. After 9 years on our own in Japan. We put the tree up after Halloween and slowly decorate inside the house.

  68. For me personally I prefer to wait until after thanksgiving but if it brings people joy to put theirs up earlier I would say go for it.

  69. Traditionally, we celebrate on Christmas Eve (in Germany). So in my case, the family gathers at my parent’s house in the afternoon and we put up the tree together. We decorate it, place the presents underneath and get everything ready.

    In the meantime, my mother used to be in the kitchen preparing dinner. This year, though, it will be my brother cooking, and us assisting, since my mother had a few very difficult operations done in the last few months and won’t be strong enough to spend two days in the kitchen.

    There’s always something really wonderful about all the family being together and preparing tree and dinner. Even though we’re not religious in any sense, it’s all about being there together.

  70. My parents have December birthdays so we *Never* put up the tree until after Mom’s birthday on the 9th. Typically the Saturday following it, maybe Sunday if 12/9 was the Saturday. That tradition has stuck even though I live in my own house. But I don’t want the tree up at Thanksgiving because we need the space so it works for us.

    • We have December birthdays too. My Dad’s birthday is the 18th, my brother’s is the 19th, and my daughter’s is the 20th.
      I can’t wait that long to put up the tree, lol!!

  71. My parents birthdays were the 7th and 12th of December, so the tree still goes up the weekend between those two dates. The house starts getting decorated the day after Thanksgiving. A far better use of my time than fighting mobs of people over the chance to score a “sale.”

    • My son has a December birthday too. We normally put our tree up around his birthday. How ever our other son living elsewhere has no tree at all.

  73. I almost put up other option because I wanted to say that I believe everyone should feel free to put up their Christmas tree or any other decoration whenever they want.

  74. I like taking my holidays one at a time, and the next day, which is a lazy “free” day for me is a good time to do it. Just get White Christmas on the TV, some hot chocolate in a mug and have fun with it

  75. I mean you do you, whatever makes you happy. We have neighbors who have had their (artificial) Mickey Mouse Christmas wreath up 365 days for…maybe a decade?

    In our family, tree goes up usually the first weekend in Dec, comes down the first weekend in January. I detest Christmas music in the stores before Thanksgiving though.

    I do tend to shop early for Christmas, often mostly done by Dec 1st. The reason is that both of my kids, my husband, both my brothers, a niece, and several of my best friends have birthdays in Nov and Dec, so I start planning/shopping in late October for those, and usually end up shopping for birthdays and Christmas together.

  77. I no longer do a tree, but hang lights on the front fence for myself and a condo neighbor. November because the old fingers feel the cold, they say 40s next week. I hope. They stay up until Epiphany/ Twelfth Night, unless it snows, then I just don’t turn them on… unless I can’t get to the timer to shut it off

  79. My family always does the tree and decorations the day after Thanksgiving.

    I’m not even sure my parents bother with a tree anymore. My brother is their live in help. I think one year they decorated the cat tree with catnip mice and led lights. (It was neat and the cat loved it)

    Hubby and I stopped putting up a tree after his father passed 3 years ago. He adored Christmas so we’d go all out at his apartment and celebrate there. (He lived very close to us.)

    Now? Not so much.

    This year is the first year my older sister is a grandmother. They’re hoping for a big family tree and decorations for the new baby. A ray of light for the years end.

  80. When my husband and I were together, Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday so I had to respect that. And then, since we always had fresh trees, we would usually get a tree 2 weeks before Christmas so it would be alive and not a fire hazard.

    This year I bought a fake tree and it was up November 14th. Not decorated, but fluffed and ready. So… my answer now is: whenever I want. And that right there… that’s freedom.

  81. I stopped putting up Xmas trees when the cats and dogs decided it was for playing with and every time I came home from going to work or whatever, it was down and the decorations scattered all through the house. On one occasion a friend gave me some presents and saw me put them under the tree but didn’t tell me there was chocolates in them so guess what, my dogs had some lovely treats, though they left the soaps alone.

  83. Here in Ireland a fair amount of hones with kids (or not) put theitmr tree up to coincide with the Late Late Toy Show which always happens on the last Friday of November. 2.5hrs of Christmas jumpers, kids going nuts with toys and just some of the cutest kids ever. Christmas ‘officially’ kicks off with that (or at least you’re allowed open the tubs of Roses or Quality Street that night)

  84. I voted the day after Thanksgiving, since that’s when I start decorating – but as far as I’m concerned, put up your tree whenever you damn well please. The past few years have been brutal and I think we all deserve to enjoy the magic of Christmas as much and as soon as we want. Regardless of when that is.

    Unless you do a real tree. In which case, wait till around December 15th, please. I don’t want a fire at House Andrews. <3 <3

  85. When I decorate at all, I do it on St. Nicholas’ Day (December 6th), and take things down on Epiphany (January 6th). I like Christmas reasonably well, but I do get tired of it starting before Halloween.

  86. Our family tradition is that we go and get hot chocolate and a Christmas tree the Friday before Christmas in the evening and then we decorate it together Saturday with Christmas music! We also have animals that think it’s the coolest toy ever, so it usually stays up until the 1st and then comes down again. For us it’s all about the tradition tho. So I say you can make your tradition you want it to be!

  88. My stipulation is after Rememberance day. Since I’m Canadian and our Thanksgiving is in October. Personally I prep for Christmas in December, but so long as it’s at least mid November I won’t complain, much.

  89. The tree should go up when you are ready for it – i.e. “some other opinion”.
    If you want it today, go for it!

    Personally, I would not put mine up before Thanksgiving. In fact it may not come out until just before Christmas, but that’s because the cats will have waaay too much fun with it.
    I got out of the habit of decorating much when I worked retail. If the kids didn’t decorate, it didn’t happen. My only suggestion for a Christmas decoration was usually a “BAH! HUMBUG!” sign.
    The store I worked did half our year’s business between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My “holidays” started in early October and went on until at least mid-January. (Inventory happened the first Sunday and Monday after Jan. 1.) They involved 12 hour days and 7 day weeks.
    The best thing about Christmas was the day off.

    Now I’m retired and widowed, it’s hard to get excited about another day I will spend alone. My local kids are going to her parents’ house this year and my out of town kids cannot travel because my daughter has jury duty on Dec. 29th. Bummer.

    Gee, I am whiny today. We will do Christmas early or late. It *really* does not matter if it’s the 25th.

    • I’m so sorry that you will be alone on Christmas. May I offer a suggestion for your possible consideration? Churches and soup kitchens are often desperate for volunteers to help serve holiday meals to those who would can’t afford them or who don’t have anywhere else to go. I’ve helped serve such meals several times in the past, and I can honestly say I think I got more out of it than I gave. It was always a happy, merry, lovely time for all! Maybe this might be something you could volunteer at? Sorry if you didn’t want suggestions, just thought this might help. Wishing you happy holidays regardless of where you are! ????

  90. I voted the day after Thanksgiving. However. If I could skip Thanksgiving and move into Christmas right after Halloween without my family revolting, I totally would.

  92. I think everyone gets to decorate their homes as they wish. In my household the Christmas decorations don’t go up until all the December birthdays have been celebrated. I’m in Canada, so Thanksgiving is early October and thus not a factor.

    But for stores, I strongly believe that they shouldn’t go up until after Remembrance Day (November 11) – I’m looking at you Costco ????.

    • I meant to include that our Christmas decorations stay up until Epiphany (Jan 6). As kids we each got 1 present on this day. My Mom always said it was to celebrate the arrival of the Wise Men and the gifts they brought. However as I got older I realized that other families didn’t do this, even other Catholic families. So I suspect the true reason is that she located the gifts that she’d hidden away and didn’t find in time for Christmas. Lol. ????

      • Well, it used to be like this in Roman Catholic Latin American countries.
        The kids put their shoes under the tree or outside their bedroom door, with a little bit of water and grass for the camels of the Wise Men.
        You didn’t receive gifts in Christmas.
        You received gifts the day the Wise Men visited baby Jesus and presented him with their gifts (gold, frankincense, and myrrh).
        As the years passed by, influenced by movies and ads, children started to get little gifts in Christmas (something like a T-shirt, for example, to wear that day), and the Big One on Jan 6th.
        Now, they receive more on Christmas than in the Día de Reyes. Still, there are parades in each neighborhood, sometimes organized by local firefighters or local neighborhood football (soccer) clubs, with the firefighters trucks making their sirens go loud, and three people in costumes, representing the Wise Men (Los Reyes Magos), and giving candy and small gifts to the children. Sometimes the parades are really BIG, in the big cities and in some countries, like in Spain (look for Cabalgata de Reyes).

      • Oh, and the Christmas decorations stayed on until Jan 6, until the evening of the Día de Reyes, when families took the decorations away until Dec 8th, when they put up the tree again.

      • My grandma used to give we grandchildren little gifts for the Epiphany, too, and her decorations came down that day, no matter what. Good luck for the year to come, she would say.

        Now my tree comes down on the 6th too- not because I need it gone, but because doing so reminds me of grandma and how pleased she would be that I am looking out for my family and not tempting the fates!

        I looked this up at some point, and these traditions were specific to the county of Ireland her family came from,

        • Well, here (Argentina), is bad luck to put up the tree before December 8th (Day of the Immaculate, a big deal here, it’s public holiday, and most Catholic children have their first communion on that day, with a party and all (kind of Catholic Bar Mitzvah), so it’s also the day the tree goes up). And yes, keeping it up after January 6th is also considered bad luck, so the tree goes down no later than Jan 6th evening. I suppose it is an old Catholic tradition, that has been mostly forgotten or discarded in some countries.

  93. I have a rule of no Christmas decorations until December 1. One month is enough of Christmas songs on repeat for me lol

  96. In my family it was up Dec 24 -Jan 6. My spouse’s family, up on (US) thanksgiving evening and down on Dec 26. This year, after we moved into a new house, we decided on Nov 17 to start a very casual decorating season of “if we get to it, we get to it”. So far, one garland is up. Decorating should be fun and not with a deadline. ????

  97. My wife wants the tree up by Thanksgiving+1 and down December 26. I like it up the week of Christmas and down by the end of January. Neither of us generally gets what we want.

  98. I’m not big on Christmas (too many years in a previous job in retail /difficult family situations making Christmas a bit meh ) but traditionally in my state (South Australia), the Christmas tree (usually fake here -real trees are unusual here) should go up no earlier than the day of the Christmas Pageant (usually held early November) – which was last weekend. So go for it if Christmas is your thing.

  99. For us after Remembrance day is acceptable to put up all the Christmas or winter holiday things. But normally we don’t put up our tree until Mid December if it’s real, if it’s fake usually December 1st.

  100. Your tree you do whatever you like…imo

    The problems come when using live vs artificial

    Artificial solves most of the logistics but sometimes it’s just meh

    Anyway …happy holidays

  102. We used to get live trees so we would wait until two weeks before Christmas. I always loved picking out a “Charlie Brown” Christmas tree. But December last year was really bad for my family. So we didn’t get a chance to buy a tree until after Christmas. The only trees left were artificial leftovers on clearance. So we got a $12 artificial tree and celebrated my son’s birthday, Christmas, and New Years on New Year’s Day. My favorite part was when my husband gathered up all the 2020 Calendars in the house and we all went outside to burn them. And we left the tree up through February.

    So now I’m not nearly as militant as I used to be about when things go up. I am planning on putting my artificial tree up sometime after Thanksgiving and enjoying it as long as it still makes me smile.

    And I think you should put yours up when you feel like it’s time. Best wishes for a safe and Merry Christmas.

  103. I grew up with the tree going up the day after Thanksgiving, always an artificial tree. Real trees dry out to quick here in Colorado, and makes a huge mess ????. So I continue to do the same and put it up the day after Thanksgiving ☺️

  105. I dont celebrate Christmas, but here in Argentina most people put up the tree on December 8th, i believe because its Immaculate Conception day…
    this is a most catholic country

  106. It depends. If you’re not celebrating Christmas at home, then I’d say at least after Halloween is not too soon. If celebrating at home, it’s not too soon to put up, but wait until after Thanksgiving to turn on the lights.

  107. So funny thing. I adore Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t really have the fun decor of Halloween or Christmas. So I put up my Christmas Tree the beginning of November, and each day through thanksgiving, my family makes paper chain links with something we are thankful for written on each link. This reminds my kiddos to be grateful before we give them gifts at Christmas. Then after Thanksgiving we add the usual Christmas ornaments and decor. If you like Christmas Trees though, i don’t think there is anything wrong with having them up year round if it makes you happy. I know some people do, and then just rotate the ornaments for whatever holiday is next. Life is hard enough, feed your joy however you can.

  110. As I lean pagan, I’d say have a tree up anytime and decorate. My husband is growing a jungle of plants in his rec room. I think this year I’m gonna string fairy lights while he’s at work.

  111. Canadian, so putting it up the day after thanksgiving is a bit much. We usually put it up on a free weekend at the end of November or beginning of December, depending on everyone’s schedules.

  112. Macy’s puts all their stuff after American Thanksgiving so that seems right. As long as I don’t have to do it, I don’t really care.
    Canadian Thanksgiving would definitely be too early. Mostly I don’t want to hear Christmas music until December.

  113. But if I put my tree up after Christmas, it’d be up before Remembrance Day. (Yes, Canadians are legally required to be smart arses about Thanksgiving.)

    I typically aim for December 1st. Some years it goes up a bit earlier, some years it goes up a bit later, some years it doesn’t go up at all.

  114. I think people are decorating early because of the pandemic. At least 2 houses had their outdoor lights up last week and even more are doing this week.

  115. I have a small light tree that is up year round. I do decorations for whatever holidays I feel like, some times it is just the lights. I just like Christmas lights year round.

  117. I usually put mine up the day after Thanksgiving but it’s already up this year. I’m sad and wanted the cheer!

  119. IMO, any day you have the time, energy and the desire to put up the tree – although the 4th of July might be a little too soon. I do a lot of Christmas baking and put up all the house decorations and the tree by myself, so I start early. This year it was the end of October for the inside decorations, but will probably do the tree next week sometime. You do whatever’s right for you. There’s no wrong answer.

    • Oooh, what are you baking this year? I’m giving fruitcake a try this year for the first time – my MIL has been having a tough time through the pandemic so I keep trying things that she enjoys. I am also going to try meringue wreaths in addition to the many (many!) batches of sugar and gingerbread cookies.

  120. After working retail for several years, and with the local radio stations playing Christmas music 24/7 starting Nov 1st, I get Christmas overload if the tree goes up too early. As an earlier commenter said, Christmas becomes less special when it is a constant presence for months on end.

    Also, we try to purchase one new ornament each year, usually during our family summer trip. That means each ornament has a story, and so decorating the tree takes a full afternoon. The weekend after Thanksgiving is a great time for that.

  122. I don’t know when thanksgiving is (non American here) but we put ours up the first weekend in December

  124. Last year the weather in MN was chilly but pleasant, and I wanted to beat the crowds on Black Friday. So I hurried to the nursery and put up the tree before Thanksgiving and it brought me so much joy, and I enjoyed the tree so much longer!

  126. I live on North Shore Massachusetts. If you want a live tree and don’t reserve one (pick it out early and put your name in it)…and don’t get it day after thanksgiving you’re lucky to find a tree at all., places sell out really fast. We went back to artificial this year bc I didn’t want the stress of how expensive live trees will be. It’s all stress . I just wish we could fly somewhere tropical and wait it all out. But … fights on planes, maniacs attacking flight attendants and all that ….????????
    That said, we watched a really cute benign Christmas movie on Netflix where a woman gets “catfished” but ends up finding love ???? lol so all spirit is not lost

  127. I usually wait til mid-December just because I get a live tree, but I would totally put it up now if I could. We deserve Christmas after the last year(+)

  128. I think the week before Thanksgiving is perfect. Christmas is a beautiful holiday. We can have our tree up as long as it gives us pleasure. But, if you live where there is snow, you should leave outside lights up. It gives me joy to see lights reflecting in the snow.????

  129. Growing up, our tree was set up some time between Thanksgiving weekend and December 5. It was my target block for my own family, but a lot depended on our collective schedules. Now that I’m retired, I prefer sunny, relatively warm days for tree procurement. Some years that takes a little longer…

  130. Whenever I have time after Halloween so that I don’t feel stressed trying to get it in after Thanksgiving and before Christmas.

  131. Hi, I am putting the tree up now and decorating. So for me in Queensland (Australia) it is the 20 November. Hard to find real trees here especially as we are barrelling towards summer.

  132. Any time after Halloween is my timeframe. I have a winter tree that goes up when I feel the days are too short and the weather is cold. It’s been up for two weeks now.
    I add some Christmas ornaments, tree topper angel and switch to colored lights after Thanksgiving. It goes back to a winter tree around the Epiphanies (eastern/western) and stays up until about Easter. Winter tree = white lights and bird/animal/pinecone/snowflake ornaments.

  133. When the first Hallmark Christmas movie appears ????. Hubby says after Thanksgiving but it is moot – no tree in our tiny apartment plus you have to find a spot to store the decorations for 10 monthd

  134. I do it the weekend before Thanksgiving since we typically travel for Thanksgiving. Experience has shown if I wait until after Thanksgiving, it won’t happen.

  135. Whenever it makes your heart happy to do so. One of my work friends puts up her tree for Halloween and just keeps redecorating it through Valentines.

  136. Usually we do day after Thanksgiving but we moved from Michigan (where most are grown) and real trees are just too expensive, so we got a fake and put it up a couple weeks ago to the everlasting joy of my 4yo

  137. I put up Swedish gnomes… everywhere and in all different colors. Am waiting for live baby trees to be available and will then put about 20 all over my office and home. I plant them around my neighborhood after Christmas ????

  138. Decorations go up on the first weekend in December and come down after Epiphany. I’m always excited to put them up but the wait from December 26 to January 6 feels like forever. I love the decorations but I’m mildly claustrophobic and a tree makes the living room feel so cramped. Once the excitement of the holiday is over I’m just itching to reclaim my space.

  139. We get a real tree that we cut down at a tree farm, so we get no sooner than mid-December because we need it to last through at least 12th Night. What other people do in their own homes is their own business.

  141. With the proviso that I don’t actually care what other people do ????, I say Thanksgiving needs some respect. You don’t kick it out the door after its day in the sun. You let it sit a while. No trees until December. Don’t care what day, but wait until December. It makes everything more special to have to wait a bit anyway, right?

  142. After Thanksgiving. But, since I typically work the holiday/weekend, I go home to my parents’ for turkey up to two weeks early. Anytime after that drive back to my place is fair game for Christmas music and the tree. I just got back Wednesday night and I’ll be putting the tree up on Tuesday, my next day off. We’re Orthodox, so the tree stays up until at least January 7.

  143. The weekend before Xmas. Unless Xmas is a Monday, in which case it might be the weekend before that.

    (Not arbitrary, yeah? There are *rules* :))) )

  145. In Germany the first day to do anything related to Christmas is traditional the day after Totensonntag. On Totensonntag we remember the prsons that died I the previous year (and others as well), the names of the last years dead are read during the sermons.
    Totensonntag is the Sunday before the first Adventssonntag, which is the first of the four Sundays before the 24th of December.
    So traditionally it is something around 4-5 weeks before Christmas.

    As traditions are a thing to believe in or ignore, you might do as you like, but be prepared for some unfriendly looks.

  146. In Belgium, we have Sinterklaas (Saint Nicholas) bringing presents for kids on the 6th of December. Most people with kids wait until after that day. And until a few years ago, decorations in shops were also put after the 6th. But that has changed. Yesterday, I already saw several Christmas trees and decorations in our city center. I have the impression that the covid lockdown last year has played a role in it, people seem to have a need to bring some additional colour and coziness into their lives…

  148. We celebraty sinterklaas in the Netherlands. This is on December 5th, so mostly after that, though these last few years I needed the cozyness of the tree to keep me comfert earlier so I have put it up december 1st.

  149. We do just before 1st December as we need to get the advent calendars out of storage and set up. Wooden drawers in angel/Santa filled with tiny Christmas tree decorations. Have naked 20cm tree beside calendar. Add decoration each day until it’s covered on Christmas eve… thanks giving isn’t celebrated in New Zealand but the dates we do Xmas tree ie 27-30th November aligns well. Weekend closest to the 1st of December if that makes sense.

  150. We have a Christmas Palm Tree (fake plastic thing about 5 feet tall) that we hang my Mom’s cloth ornaments on (so no lights). It stays up all year round .

  151. I always feel like the outlier- growing up, we always put up the tree the day before Christmas and left it until *at least* the Epiphany, and I still prefer to do that, because I feel the bright tree does a lot more heavy mood lifting in the bleak days of January and sometimes February,(even though we always get a natural tree since they are locally more sustainable, plus I like them).
    November is already full of festivity, in my mind, between Thanksgiving and preparing for Christmas- everything is all flashing bright lights and busy days. But January, when the snow’s deep and the temperature’s so cold and days feel so short and dark- that’s when the tree makes me happiest.

  152. I like to decorate so October has all my Halloween decorations
    both inside and out November brings out all my Thanksgiving
    decorations (which are hard to find as we now seem to jump from Halloween to Xmas) I have a very happy Thanksgiving turkey blow up on the lawn with other decor and lots inside. Then the day after Thanksgiving out comes the Xmas decor inside and out

  153. In my family, the tradition is to set up the tree the weekend before Thanksgiving. So that by the time Thanksgiving comes around the house is mostly decorated.

    I’m from Puerto Rico and I believe we have the longest Christmas season in record. Starts with Thanksgiving and ends 8-12 days after January 6 (depending on how the weekdays fall any given year).

    This year my mom set up hers already last weekend. She’ll finish decorating by Thursday probably.

  154. Since we don’t have Thanksgiving in Japan, most of the commercial buildings had Christmas trees and Christmas lights up on November 1st right after Halloween. It just too soon. I haven’t been feeling that Christmassy ? holiday feeling, yet. Funny thing though, we don’t have Thanksgiving, but apparently we have Black Friday sales now. It’s quite a “thing” now.

  155. We have always put our tree up the day after Thanksgiving, but I have a friend who has a tree up year-round. The family parlor in the 200 year old home has a fully decorated tree with a sheet draped over it. They remove the sheet some time in mid November.

  156. Can be very hot in Perth West Aust at Christmas. Kids usually set up early Dec or after school exams so we can sit outside at night with the Christmas lights flashing.

  158. Give the turkey its day, for crying out loud!! The official rule in this house is that no Christmas stuff happens until the Santa arrives at the end of the Macy’s parade, and the tree goes up AFTER December 1st. Clearly, I am cranky about this….because Twelfth Night is a big deal with us and the tree needs to stay fresh. 😉 lol

  159. A friend kept her tree up year ’round…there was the Xmas tree, the winter tree, the Valentine’s tree, st. Paddys tree, Easter tree, spring tree, patriotic tree, summer tree, fall tree, Halloween tree, Thanksgiving tree. It was a tall narrow artificial tree in a corner by the fireplace.

  160. I picked Day after Thanksgiving as that’s when I do it but honestly? It’s a personal decision. I do not judge. I left my tree up all year this year because after I took it down last year I wished I’d left it up. ((I did seasonally tweak my decor on it lol)

  161. I have 4 cats and a hyper dog. It won’t matter when it goes up because I will be hunting ornaments for months afterwards.

  162. I fully support putting the tree up whenever you feel you need that joy 🙂 for some people (me ahahaha) that means putting up the tree early and leaving it until late

  163. We usually put ours up the day after Thanksgiving. (In time for Advent.) But, that said, due to travel and living away from family, we have put our tree up in October and celebrated with our baby and then traveled to be with family during the holidays. Also, due to illness, one year we didn’t have Christmas until New Year’s Day and the littles didn’t even know. So people should do it their own way and not worry about what other people think.

  164. I like my fall decorations, so they stay up until Thanksgiving. Every year our family takes the day after Thanksgiving to switch to Christmas. But I say do what makes you happy.

  165. I used to have very rigid thoughts on this subject. The day after Thanksgiving, and no earlier! But, since the pandemic, anytime is fine. I, myself, waited for the first weekend in November. Although if I hadn’t had to go shopping for a tree this year, it would have been up the day after Halloween (okay, the day before Halloween).

  166. My tree and the trappings are still in storage after my house move, they will be back 2nd week in December-then I will put the tree up ????????????

  167. We put up our tree Christmas Eve & take it down the day after 12th Night. That is just our tradition. I create outdoor holiday planters once the local shops have fresh cut boughs in stock & have at least one or more fresh arrangements indoors so the house smells like Christmas naturally – no icky artificial scents claiming to be authentic here! We do have an artificial tree though. That is what works best for us. As I recall from your previous posts your tree is very large & looks like it would take at least a full day to set up & decorate, so in your case it makes sense to put your tree up earlier so as not to add another task to the ‘to do’ list for Christmas Day:)

  169. My son’s b-day is early December. Tree goes up after we celebrate it.
    Plus, we go with live trees. They only hold needles well for 2-3 weeks. I enjoy post holiday buzz. Tree doesn’t come down for a few days.

  171. Here in Milano the day to put it on is the day of our saint, Sant’Ambrogio, December the 7th. And we put it of January the 6th, the Hag day (Epiphany)

  172. I chose Day after Thanksgiving since its unofficially how it’s done in our area, but I have a neighbors who decorated the whole house, including fake Christmas tree at the beginning of October… So it’s up to you! ????

  173. The day you put up your tree is whatever day will make you (and your household) happiest. I don’t care if you put that tree up in July, it’s been a rough couple of years and I’ve learned to embrace what brings you joy.

    We put ours up after Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving is my husband’s favorite holiday and he doesn’t enjoy Christmas encroaching on it, but that’s my house. If I lived by myself, I would have had the tree out weeks ago.

  174. And when is it not too late to take it down after Christmas? I never want to take our tree down! I finally reached a compromise with my family: tree comes down “sometime in January”, but little twinkly lights strung along the picture window in our den get to stay up all year! (I do have to start calling them ‘fairy lights’ instead of ‘Christmas lights’ once the tree has been taken down, though!) ????

  175. It also depends on if you have a real tree or an artificial tree. Real trees don’t need to be kept very long at all. An artificial tree – I see no reason not to put it up and keep it up as long as you want to.

  176. My family tradition when I was little was that the parents put up and decorated the tree, put up gifts from Santa and family gifts. I remember Christmas mornings as just magical! That ended the year I woke up around 4 am (probably when parents went to bed) and pestered them hourly to get up!
    Then we put up tree as a family on 23rd or 24th. We took tree down at Epiphany (Jan 6)

  177. My sister put hers up the day after Halloween, but she’s a psychopath. ???? Mine usually goes up the week before Christmas. But I also have a small house with very little room, and I always hate to have to move my yarn case every year to accommodate a tree, so I wait as long as my kids will allow.

  178. Or whenever you want. We do our decorating the first week of December to try to enjoy Thanksgiving, but that just means I am buying all kinds of Christmas decor we don’t need because I’m so ready to decorate! So decorate whenever you like and enjoy it for as long as you like❤️❤️

  179. I live in England. We have a potted small real tree with tiny ornaments and lights on the front doorstep from the beginning of December (whenever the weather is fine enough to play on the doorstep for a few hours).
    The main real tree and holly and ivy are brought in the weekend before Christmas when the schools break up.

  180. I tend to put Christmas lights up after Halloween, then put Christmas decorations up after thanksgiving, and then get a real tree a week or two into December- piece meal, baby! Everyone has a different system though;)

  181. My mom has already started decorating. She put the small upstairs tree up, but not the big downstairs tree up yet. Her house is the family gathering place so she goes all out. It’s a lot to do though, so I think she’s staggering decorating this year. Do what makes you happy!

  182. The biggest determinate is whether you have a cut tree or an artificial tree.
    A “fresh” or cut tree shouldn’t be up more than 2 weeks total and should be as fresh as possible when put in the house. An artificial tree can go up whenever you please as long as you don’t mind if the pets go climbing….

  183. Pretty sure anything before 1 December is illegal. That’s what my mum told me and she wouldn’t lie about something like that…

  184. The tree can go up the first day of Advent. Or at least the first Sunday of Advent.

    My dad & my husband are both “day before Christmas” people. Or my dad was. The tree was allowed to be up as soon as we got it, which would be 2-4 days before Christmas, but the decorating couldn’t be done until Christmas Eve.

    It was a big surprise to find out my husband was the same way, but in his case, the tree has to stay outside as well as undecorated.

    Last year, because of COVID and the Christmas markets being closed, we put up AND decorated the tree December 15.

  185. Tradition, far as I know, is the day after Thanksgiving. I guess I just do it the traditional way. Easier that way. Typical guy I guess.

  186. A tree in a house-whenever floats your boat. I am, however, offended by Christmas stuff in stores before Halloween. I think it takes away some of the magic for little kids. How long can they be excited about Christmas? How long can they worry about Santa knowing if they’re naughty or nice? I liked it when decorations showed up close to Thanksgiving. Then the little flutter starts in kids bellies because soon the magic will happen.

    This is, of course, in regards to the Santa side of Christmas, not the religious.

  188. If it is an artificial tree fine, put it up when you want. I have a friend who keeps her artificial tree decorated and under a cover. She has it on a wheeled stand and takes the cover off and rolls it out into her living room November 1st. Here in Canada we used to never see any advertising or Christmas products out for sale until after Remembrance day on November 11th in respect for our dead soldiers. We used to get 3 huge Christmas catalogues, Sears, Woodwards and Eatons. Magical for a young child. If you are using a cut live tree I wouldn’t get one to put up until December as even with watering it many dry out too much by Christmas day. Depends on your house climate. Live trees you can plant have a better survival rate. You just need to acclimatize them back outside before planting them. A hint if you need tinsel and have a paper shredder that cuts in strips. Many potato chip bags are foiled on the inside. They can be washed and cut in two pieces. Those pieces can be put through your shredder to make your own tinsel if you want it on your tree. And you are recycling

  189. Hi from Eastern Europe. The Christian tradition here is to ornament the tree ???? on the day before x mass. Last decades we began to pull the day earlier and earlier. So this year i guess it would be in the beginning of December.

  190. I see that ~2750 of you (at the time I voted) do not have a family member with a December birthday that you celebrate separate from Christmas.????????????

  191. My mother loves having her tree up but wants to enjoy Thanksgiving (US) instead of just skipping over it. So she puts up her tree in mid-fall but decorates it with fall colors. After Thanksgiving she pulls off the explicitly fall-themed decorations and replaces them with red/Christmas ones. Great compromise!

  192. We have a Christmas Pagent in my capital city in South Australia at the end of Dec. Tradition is the Christmas trees go up after the pageant.

  193. Both my mom and my birthdays are 12/15. The tree went up after the birthday and came down on New Years. Not sure why, that was just the rule.

  194. Putting up the tree happens when everyone is home for the holidays, and it stays up at least until January 6th (we wait for when the wise men are supposed to show up). I love decorating when there are family to help and to share memories of past Christmas trees, including cat antics!
    I also appreciate seeing decorations and trees going up throughout the ‘holiday season’, not all at once. Only Christmas music needs to be regulated. NOT before Thanksgiving!

  197. I’ve been struggling with this same question. I think the tree should go up whenever it makes you happy to do so. Christmas is a little problematic this year (lots of sad changes). But I WANT to have a tree.
    All the stuff is out of storage, but I’m still not ready to start messing with it all. Probably sometime in the next few days.

  198. My mom had been putting her trees up since Halloween. She has 5. My sister, who has 6 started on November 5. Today is the weekend before Thanksgiving and I’m putting up my 2 thin trees and other decorations.

  199. The right time to put up AND take down your Christmas tree is whenever it makes you happy. Some people keep a tree up all year but decorate with other holiday ornaments (Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, 4th of July , Halloween, Thanksgiving). Decorating for Christmas cheers me up and it saddens me to take the decorations down.

  201. In our family, the “official” start to Christmas for decorating the tree, etc. Was after the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. When Santa shows up at the end of the parade, that’s the official “kick-off”!

  203. Yesterday. That’s what we did. Although I kind of think it is one week early, because we can’t next weekend. Which is the official start of the season, I think, at least traditionally for swedes, since it is the first of advent sundays and one is allowed to light the first of the four advent candles, and therefore need to have gotten out the candle holder and the moss and little mushroom decorations that go in it, which is in the christmas bones.. .

    So most people put up the elecric light stars in the windows too on first advent. So my reasoning is that if one “should” put up SOME christmas decoration by next sunday, one should be allowed to put up ALL christmas decorations…☃️

  204. Day for tree in Sub tropical Australia (hot hot Christmas) depends on real tree or artificial. If real tree, goes up one week before Christmas, in bucket of sand kept moist. If artificial tree, as soon after December 1 that you like – or as soon as you talk your husband into putting up the outside lights. Or as soon as the little girls next door ask when you are doing lights and Christmas stuff.

  206. When I was single, the tree went up the day after Thanksgiving. Now it goes up on December 5 as my daughter’s birthday is the 4th. Her brother, however, has to deal with Christmas decorations as his birthday is January 4 and I do not take the tree down before Epiphany.

  208. Family tradition calls for a trip to the tree farm to cut our own fresh tree, so it has to be some random weekend in December. We borrowed an artificial tree the first year not all of the kids could make it but decided nope, the smell of freshly cut fir is too much a part of our Christmas so now we wait until the youngest is home from college mid-month and pick a time when the most kids can be there.

  209. Doesn’t it really matter whether you have small animals that like to do tree Olympics? Example. My brother loves Christmas, However, he has 2 cats who love the Christmas tree and live in it all the time it’s up generally causing issues.

  211. While my family puts theirs up after thanksgiving, I know people who leave them up year round. If it is your house and your tree, put it up when you feel like you need to. Or have time to.

  212. We do it the weekend after Thanksgiving. Or at least we try to. Then we take it down the weekend after New Years. Or at least we try to. We have been known to have our decorations up until the end of January because of too many other commitments to get the job done.

  214. Best Halloween yard this year went to skellys with an elf on a spit. Signage read, ” Santa let us have Halloween or the elf gets it.” Now in MY house the tree goes up in May if I’m feeling froggy. Judge me and see how far it gets you.
    Day after Thanksgiving is a U.S. tradition and well put to avoid black Friday mayhem shopping. So all that adds up to, You do you boo.

  215. The tree is put up on Christmas Eve and stays until Januar, 6th. It is a christmas tree, after all.
    But looking at the other replies, this seems to be a German thing.. In my defence: We have very nice homemade advent calendars for the christmas spirit during december.

  216. It’s a lot of work to put the tree up and decorate it. It has to be up at least five weeks before Christmas to make it worth all the time and energy.

  217. I moved to The Netherlands in 2005, and my Dutch husband refuses to put the tree up until the day after Sinterklaas (December 5) because while he’s basically Dutch Santa, it’s two distinct holidays.

    I’m American. The day after Thanksgiving is my tradition, so it’s a debate every year. I usually lose.

  218. In years past I’ve put my tree up in September with Halloween themed ornaments and lights. Then I switch out after Halloween some time.
    This year I haven’t put it up yet, but probably will this week.

  219. We have Sinterklaas over here, and he brings presents at the 5th of December and goes home at the 6th. Although my kids don’t believe that he is real, I still wait until he is gone before putting up my Christmas decorations.

  220. I adore Christmas and everything about it.

    I love Christmas music of all styles except Country, and have more than 150 CDs; we fill our 50-CD player and rotate the music through three-year cycles. My husband will not allow me to start playing them, though, until December 1.

    Our wreath arrived this week, and he did not think that should be a basis for a change in the December 1 rule.

    We get a natural tree every year, so it can’t go up too early. Our lives are always busy enough that we find ourselves scrambling to get it up, always later than I’d like. To be able to enjoy it enough, I think December 20 or so should be the latest.

    I collect lovely Christmas sweaters and detest the concept that all Christmas sweaters are by definition ugly. I wear a different sweater every day of December.

  221. I don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but my family and I have our own holiday called Socd (pronounced “socked” and stands for Start Of Christmas Decorating) that we normally do on the last Thursday of November or anytime after Wolfenoot. We make tons of food and everyone eats throughout the day as we decorate the house (got to keep the energy up!)
    I think in a couple of years, I’ll probably have a (fake) tree up all year and decorate it for every holiday that I like and maybe birthdays. Whatever helps you float is my new motto and holiday decorations fit the bill.

  222. Personally I would wait for December because Christmas is special and deserves its own time not mushed together with other celebrations. But that’s just me. Otherwise it depends on the tree. Fresh cut trees dry out and drop needles, so timing putting them up is important. Otherwise when it feels right for you and the tree.

  223. I mean, we have a tradition of getting our tree (fresh cut) the day of our town’s local Christmas Parade (first Friday in Dec). Then Decorate it on Sunday between Church services. But Black Friday is quite reasonable for a tree display.

    We also take the tree down the first Saturday after Christmas (1-7 days).

  224. When his son was younger tree went up Nov 7 (hubby’s bday) and came down Christmas night after his son went to mommys for the next week.

  225. My daughter was born on December 20th. When she was a toddler, I overheard her tell a friend that “Sandy Claws” was going to bring her a present for her birthday. That was when I outlawed any Christmas decorations in the house before December 21st. That child is now 57 and I still adhere to the rule.

  226. Ahhh Christmas, I like to put up the tree a week before Christmas, and then it’s all taken down on the 6th of January, the 12th day ofChristmas. With just 2 of us at home, it does make a positive feel to the house and we feel more ‘Christmassy’ because our home feels like Christmas. It can be feel quite lonely otherwise.
    Living in the tropics in Australia, I also turn the aircon up so we don’t swelter all day, not the same as the scenes conventionally associated with Christmas etc.

  227. I put mine up for the first Sunday of Advent (which is usually the first Sunday after American Thanksgiving) and take it down after Epiphany/ Orthodox Christmas (6 January). We lived in Central Asia for many years and we like to have the tree up over New Years and Orthodox Christmas as a way of honouring the traditions of our friends.

  228. Thank you for not assuming that all of your readers celebrate Christmas or have a tree. Normally, I am pretty annoyed by the “Christmas Creep” into all of December, November and even October, with how it gleefully erases other holidays. In light of the pandemic, I think you should put your tree and other decorations up whenever makes you happy. We all deserve to find our joy where we can.

  229. Over here it’s some not-quite-so arbitrary day in December. If you want to keep most needles on the tree till Three Kings (or whatever the day is called in English – 6. January is the traditional get-rid-of-tree day) then you can’t have it up too early.

    Of course, if you use a plastic tree, go take it out of the basement whenever.

  230. I love the history of the Christmas tree,(as I understand it) it’s a German tradition where they decorated it with candles to mirror the stars (link to the star that guided the maji to the birth of Jesus). It was a live tree. They didn’t cut it down. The German royals brought it over to England (Q Victoria’s mother’s family)
    So, for me, if it’s a celebration of Jesus’ birth, have it all year round!
    (We don’t because we cut ours down so we have to judge the timing so we have a decent amount of time to enjoy it before the needles fall)

  232. Our tree gets cut down and put up the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We have a whole tradition of taking the kids ( grandkids now too) and the dogs to go pick a tree at a tree farm. Our tree takes up an 11′ x 11′ room so it only stays up until the first weekend after New Years Day.

  233. As we always gather at mums for the school Christmas holidays (both my sister and I teach) if I don’t put it up now I’ll not put it up at all! So for me – weekend after Remembrance Sunday (or the next before Advent -Christ the King otherwise known as ‘Stir Up Sunday’) after all if I’m going to make my cake dnd pudding I may as well put up the tree!

  234. My family does a live tree and while we try our bet to keep it alive and fresh (ice cubes, home made plant food, ect..) it always dries up just after new years. So we tend to put it up sometime either the second week of December or the week before Christmas to get it to last as long as possible.

  235. We wait until December 1 to put up our tree and turn on our outdoor Christmas lights. The reason being, is that we reserve November for Remembrance of our Veterans. But, you can do whatever makes you happy, as the outdoor lights makes the world just seem more cheerful and we all need more cheer!

  238. My family has always picked the tree Christmas eve, going to a local tree farm in the snow and cutting it down. Then we spend Christmas eve decorating and putting up all the ornaments, each with its own story. The tree stays up and decorated for at least the 12 days of Christmas, typically moving outside to be habitat for the songbirds after Epiphany.

  239. I have really enjoyed reading the comments. So many different traditions, making people happy in so many different ways.

    My daughter put up our lights last week. She was so happy while she was doing it- her whole face lit up with joy. Now every night when she turns them on, she stands there and looks at them for a couple of minutes, hugging herself and glowing with happiness. Tomorrow, we’ll get the tree up.

  240. My daughter’s favorite holiday is Thanksgiving so we need to decorate and celebrate that before putting up Christmas decorations. But the day after, I am all about getting ready for Christmas.

  241. I had my tree up and decorated for two years straight! No-one, besides me, went in the library unless it was Christmas anyway????????‍♀️ We had to leave it in there because the dogs would take an ornament per day, ugh.

    We wound up taking it down and putting it away this past summer, we were having guests for my daughter’s wedding. If she would’ve eloped, i’dve still had my tree up! Jic lol

  242. Hmmm. When is thanksgiving?
    Traditionally in my family, the tree cannot go up before 1 December 🙂

    • In the USA Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday in November.
      In Canada it is the second Monday in October.

  244. General contra Siam holiday issues:

    Only you, your family and friends know when the tree is up; so, who cares!

    More importantly…when do your Christmas lights and outdoor decorations go up/ come down? ????

    me:
    Up -Day/weekend after Thanksgiving

    Down- weekend of/following Epiphany

    And yes, Die Hard is a Christmas movie!

  245. We have a whole holiday all about being thankful, willing to share, and eating like pigs without shame. Who wants to skip that?

    My bday is close to Thanksgiving and sometimes it even lands on my bday so I have a special place in my heart for it. So technically I like to wait till my birthday to put up the Christmas decorations.

    I love Christmas and all the decorations I just like waiting because I believe in giving Halloween and Thanksgiving their due first. Plus cannot start Christmas without Hallmark Christmas movies! Haha

    But I totally get why with Covid and all ppl need some extra cheer. Plus I’m not the boss of anyone besides my family lol!

    O but we always get a real tree so can’t put it up sooner than after Thanksgiving otherwise the needles start to get dry.

  246. Put a tree up whenever you like, or keep it up year round. We traditionally put one up the first weekend in December.

  247. I absolutely LOVE Christmas but I also LOVE autumn/fall. I want to enjoy the fall before I get swept away in Christmas & winter. That means enjoying Halloween & Thanksgiving first. Especially since I live in the Northeast of the US. Our winter is LONG.

    However, I like to keep my Xmas decorations up longer then most because winter IS so long here & I find it cheerful. The gloom is less when you have twinkle lights around you. I do draw the line at Xmas music past December.

    In the end though-do what makes YOU happy & everyone else can just deal.

  248. I’m in Australia so we don’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Our personal family tradition is to put up our tree on the first weekend in December, or sometimes the last weekend in November. This started due to our (then) small kids and their Advent calendars (usually Lego) starting on 1 December. It’s just fun and festive.

    I have a friend who has had her tree up all year, just changing decorations to suit the festive occasion. It has been fun to see what she comes up with.

  249. As a Canadian kid, with Thanksgiving in October, Christmas wasn’t rushed. Our tree was always a Charlie Brown affair. We’d bundle up & tromp around the property & my dad would veto any nice looking tree my brother & I glanced at. We could only cut & drag inside a tree that had basically been starved of nutrients & light. We loved it. In January, taking it down was traumatic because it was chopped up & used in the wood stove.
    Nowadays our season is more rushed, our tree is much fluffier, and it goes up whenever the school sells them as a fundraiser. It comes down in time for us to not miss the recycling – no wood stove ????

  251. When I had a daughter it was always part of our Black Friday tradition. Shopping, then home for apple cider, Christmas music, and decorating.

    Now I have 3 cats – young cats, one which is part Bengal. We have NO decorations until these hooligans learn decorum.

  252. I voted day after Thanksgiving, but that is an artificial tree. Anyone with a cut tree should wait for closer to Christmas.

  253. We have a Christmas Pageant mid-November here, any time from that day (inclusive) onwards is when the tree can go up

  254. Ee don’t really celebrate either Halloween or Thanksgiving in my country, so these are not relevant dates before Christmas. In this region, people will normally put up their tree on a weekend in advent, often only a week or a day before Christmas. In return, it often stays in our living rooms until the end of January. First day to put it away would be Epiphany (6th of January) and the last day to put it away is 2nd of February (Candlemas). In the end, each family will still do it differently of course.
    When do you normally put the tree away in the US?

  255. Being a Brit, I don’t do Thanksgiving (not even sure what day it is in November) but my mother followed her mother’s tradition of putting up Christmas decorations on 20 December and down on 6 January and I do the same. It makes me smile to think of a family tradition that is over 100 years old but I’m only the third person to follow it.

    Only two more days to go before Fated Blades is released – feels like an early Christmas present!

  256. I’m German and somewhat of a traditionalist. In our family we don’t do x-mass trees anymore – too sad to watch a living fir or spruce dying at our living room.

    Instead we do every Advent a Crib, complete with Holy family, sheperds, flock and later, from 6th of january on, the 3 Wise Men.

  257. My husband once complained that taking the tree down on New Years Day was too soon and had one of his drama bear fits. It stayed up until the 1st of March. All the needles were gone and it was quite the eyesore. No more complaining though!

  258. It might be interesting to know the demographics of the voting. I lived in the USA for 35 years, almost half my life, and pretty much everyone I knew decorated for the holidays the day after American Thanksgiving. I Lived a couple of years in Germany, where most of the folks I met decorated shortly before Christmas. I grew up in Newfoundland and decorations went up on Christmas Eve. (Came down on Old Christmas Day, 6 January.)
    I’m retired now and living in the Maritimes, where most folks seem to start Christmas after paying their respects to veterans on 11 November.

  259. My vote was for an arbitrary day, but if I ruled the world I would put mine up just after Halloween. Maybe even before… or maybe I’d never take it down. I love a good Christmas tree!

  260. Our tree was like our Advent Calendar… We put the tree up the first day of December and kept it up until Epiphany… Not for religious reasons, just because the ree and hand making decorations and all was so lovely 🙂

  261. Some other option: In the week preceding Christmas, whenever you receive/buy/cut the tree down and transfer it home, drip dry it in the bathroom as necessary, get it set up sturdily and watered properly… that is the proper time to put it up. Decorating…eh, whenever the lights are draped properly (no flashing lights, twinkling lights okay, fairy lights preferable because those candle lookalikes just aren’t charming enough) and the chore of decorating can no longer be procrastinated… so, Christmas Eve (unless there are children around and school is out and then you push off the chore onto their shoulders in the days leading up to Christmas Eve and you happily put up with quite a bottom-heavily decorated tree).

    But I’m Nordic. And have family traditions.

    Also, pet peeve: I don’t mind cheap decorations, but I mind if they LOOK cheap!

    Opinions, I has them.

    (And before you get all huffy about cutting down trees, when we do it ourselves it’s on our own land and the woods need thinning every now and then. Most of the received trees have also been from similar situations or from tree farms located in places where trees growing over a certain height get ruthlessly culled before they interfere with the distribution of electricity.)

  263. We typically get it right after Thanksgiving and decorate early December. I remember watching the very cute Norwegian show on Netflix Home for Christmas and the characters in that show didn’t get their tree until really late like t day before Christmas. Not sure if that’s common in Norway but I found it super interesting.

  264. Not related to this topic, but I can’t believe it is only 1 day until Fated Blades!!! Wasn’t it still 60 something days to go only yesterday?!?

    Oh, and my tree is hollering to be put up NOW. At least I think that’s what it’s saying, it’s kinda muffled from the bag in the garage… wait, what do you mean that’s not the tree?! hehehe Maybe I’ve been home alone too long and am hallucinating tree voices. MAYBE. Pretty sure it’s the tree…

  269. We need all the happiness and joy we can get right now. I wanted to answer the poll question with any dang time you please.

  270. My parents always put up the tree on Christmas Eve.
    With my children, we decorate the tree on 6th December, on Saint Nicholas Day, it’s the day for suprises for them. And then they decorate the second tree in my parents/their grandparents house on 24th December (our Christmas is secular, not religious, so the tree is just a tradition).

  271. It depends on Birthdays in your family. My birthday happens to be Dec 11th. So my family wouldn’t start on Christmas until after my birth had been celebrated. If you don’t have December or Late November birthdays in your family then I would recommend putting up the tree when you have time after finishing up Thanksgiving. Don’t stress about doing it earlier than that. However, if you find joy in the tree year round, then feel free to always have it up.

  273. If you have asthma, the day before Christmas because a live tree should only be kept up for around a week. I learned this the hard way last year when I half-suffocated myself with our three-week-old tree.

    Apart from that, anytime within Advent (4 weeks before Xmas) feels fine to me. But that’s just my preference. Do what you want in your home.

    The more interesting question is, why does House Andrews want to know? ????

  274. Whenever makes you the happiest….we put ours up Christmas Eve…..but we take it down March 1st….Winter is long and dark here and the tree helps with our mental health. ????????????

  275. I always doine the day after Thanksgiving and leave it up until new years day, but if you wanna put up a tree in July and blast the Christmas carols, I’m not gonna judge. ????

  276. Thanks for this. The book is already hilarious and I’m only on page 7.

    Plus – yarn!! Love the yarn!!

  277. When we were young, my dad bought a pine tree in a pot. It was smaller than me (being the youngest) but we had fun decorating the rest of the house around the tree after we couldn’t see the tree anymore.
    After January 6th the tree would be relocated outside and repotted every July (winter in Australia).
    By the time we were teenagers, that tree was huge and needed a trolley to be moved inside. It got to be so big my dad had to trim the top to get it in the house.
    It was a sad day when the decision was made to plant it in the yard.
    After that we had an artificial tree and it just wasn’t the same.
    When the tree was planted in the garden it became known as the christmas tree and every year we had to decorate it, but the magpies kept stealing the tinsel. We ended up hanging christmas themed bird feeders to distract them – didn’t work though.

  278. We put ours up on the 1st of December. We are in the Southern Hemisphere so we don’t celebrate thanks giving so we don’t use that as a guide.

  279. Such a happy set of responses!! Weekend of Thanksgiving the tree is bought and placed in the water bucket and some decor goes up. When I can get at least one child home to help me with lights it gets decorated. When it makes you happy is the only answer that matters! Happy holidays peeps ????

  280. I used to be the day after Thanksgiving… but after traveling to Phillippines and seeing all their decorations up super early, I changed my mind. Set it up early enough to enjoy the season and don’t get overwhelmed with putting up everything in a day.

  282. My family doesn’t care when we put up the tree as long as 1) everyone is there and 2) it is after thanksgiving and before Christmas. Our actual observed tradition is The Great Christmas Tree Debate which is a no holds barred battle over which live Christmas tree the family will select. The rules are that everyone has 15 minutes from the time we enter the lot to select and bring their Christmas tree to a predetermined meeting area and then must persuade, bargain, or batter everyone else to abandon their tree and vote for yours. Prior agreements are strictly forbidden and the decision must be unanimous. Winner gets to choose their tree topper. Usually by the end we have garnered attention of several attendants and other shoppers. We all participated in speech and debate as kids and our parents give as good as they get. It’s hilarious and my favorite tradition by a mile.

  283. I used to be a day after Thanksgiving person, but now I’m of the opinion you should do it whenever it makes you happy.

  284. In Portugal traditionally you put your tree up on the 8th of December, The Feast of the Immaculate Conception, and take it down on the 6th of January, Day of Wisekings. This is the official Christmas Season.

    Truthfully most people do it in the 1st of December, it’s a holiday although not a religious one, and usually put it down just before or after the New Year.

    Unless they’re me, in which we put up the tree when we can gather with the old folks, and put it down in February or something…

  285. In my country (Philippines), Christmas season starts on Sept 1. ???? Carols are played at malls (lots of Mariah Carey and Michael Buble), and trees and decors are put up in houses and in public. Then it ends on early Feb or late January, and all the festive stuff gets stored away for 7 months.

    (Photo not mine, but is a house in Manila famous for their Christmas Decor every year) ????

  286. Thank you, Ilona Andrews for the interesting post. I am sure there will be a lot of input on this question. ????. Personally I think it’s whenever you want to. One caveat— water the formerly alive tree often especially if you decorate with lights etc.

    In my house due to multi species coexistence, I switched to artificial tree years ago. Okay after shaving the Maine coon cat for the second time.. sigh…. In a nod to my ex husband who was non Christian faith, I celebrated Christmas every other year. But he expected presents every year. ????

  288. For a live tree, December 1 is the earliest. If you wait too long though the Santa Ana winds might dry out all the trees on the Christmas tree lots so they are no good.

  289. It’s freaking doing the best we can while the world is on fire. Put your tree up when it will give you joy.

  290. The tradition here is Scotland is built around the 12 days of Xmas. Your tree goes up on Xmas eve and comes down on twelve days later on the 6th. Having your tree up past the 6th is bad luck for the rest of the year.

    An alternative interpretation is it goes up 12 days before and down by the 6th. Although given how busy people are these often become the weekend before whatever your family rule is.

    It’s very rare to see a decorations before December and usually if you do it’s an American family ????

  291. My living room is now housing foster kittens. While every FUN and full of cute, it sadly will not be decorated because said kittens have broken enough random mugs and I’m tired of cleaning up sharp messes while trying to keep said kittens from being injured by their mayhem. Den is the puppy room so that’s a no go. Dining room and kitchen are too small to have anything other than small table top decorations. Maybe I’ll get a tree if my fosters get adopted ????????‍♀️

  292. We always put up the tree mid December or so…before solstice, but not too much, since we wanted it up until Epiphany (Twelfth Night).

  293. We put our (artificial) tree up the day after Thanksgiving. It usually takes a week to decorate then it comes down Jan 6.
    When I was a kid my mom would put the tree up Christmas Eve after we were all in bed. When we woke up Christmas morning the decorated tree was as much part of the wonder as the gifts underneath it.

  294. Canadian here. Day after Remembrance Day (November 11th) is when the tree goes up. So November 12th.

  295. I am the person who puts up the tree 1st of December, no excuses. Only this year we have some new additions to the family: 2 main coon kittens, brother and sister. The girl is a perfect lady but the issue is her demon spawn of her brother, affectionately nicknamed “Bigfoot” (he is almost 5 kg at 5 months old). He is the bringer of destruction to anything that sways, hangs and twinkles and I honestly have no idea how the tree is going to survive this year. May have to invest in a bulletproof glass case.

  296. It takes us a week to pack up Halloween, a week to shuffle everything in and out of storage, and at least two weeks to put up all our Christmas decorations.
    We aim to have everything up and lights on by December 1st, but our first tree is always up mid-November at the latest

    But really… it’s never too early for Christmas!

  297. In the northeast of England when I was growing up it was 12days before Christmas and taken down 12 days after

  298. I have been accused of taking down the tree while kids were still opening presents (I vehemently dispute this) however, it is all put away by 12-26…

    So for maximum enjoyment I put it up on November 1.

  299. Here in the Philippines it’s normal to put up Christmas trees and other decorations as soon as the -ber months started. My mom put up ours last October. The only reason it wasn’t September was because she had a hard time deciding which color theme she’s going for this year ????

  300. I had about 12 years where I didn’t get to have my tree up. And I collect unusual ornaments, so the tree has always meant home and family to me. I have a tiny loaner tree, and ornaments collected over the past six years on the road.

    In January I decided to leave up my tiny, wrought iron, two feet of lovely tree in exile until Epiphany.

    Then I thought, it is cold, dark, and dreary, and pandemic. I will leave it up until Candlemas.

    Then I thought, Valentine’s Day!

    Saint Patrick’s Day. . . .

    Easter.

    Midsummer’s.

    Heck, one month for each year I didn’t get to have it up.

    So my tree is tiny, and already up. I turn on the lights when I am cooking, as it’s on the dining room table.

    And I think that it’s a great thing to be doing while your subconscious figures out what would be fun to write. So you should put it up this long weekend. 🙂

  302. Put it up when you feel the urge. Australian here so Thanksgiving is not a thing… I have stoped putting my tree up because I go to family and by the time I come back the spiders have cobwebbed it, which is a bit sad!

  303. Thanksgiving in Canada is in mid-October. Way to early for Christmas. My birthday is at the end of November so my family always started Christmas the second week of December so my birthday wasn’t lost in all the Christmas celebrations.

  304. What a beautiful tree! We put our tree up sometime in December. But we take it down in February (it’s artificial). It just too lovely. 🙂

  305. In Argentina, the Christmas tree is traditionally assembled on December 8, but I always end up assembling it the day I can.

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