To think your life must be pretty empty if you're celebrating Christmas already?

[MerryMarigold]

Maybe it's me, but I think 2 weeks before Christmas and one week after, is ample time to have your tree/ lights up, be watching Christmas films (if you're that way inclined), listen to Christmas songs, have Christmas nights out/ dress up in Christmas jumpers etc. This weekend my Facebook has been inundated with 'Look at my lovely tree' statuses and today I've just driven past about 30 Santas power walking, my kids are begging me to get a tree up (which will be dead by Christmas). I just think you need to enjoy life now and not always be looking forward to the next celebration.

AIBU and a miserable git, or do i have a point?

[Frouby]

My life is so full the only spare weekend we had to put the tree up was last weekend.

Unless I am putting it up your arse I fail to see why it bothers you?

[U2HasTheEdge]

Why is it always assumed that people who put their tree up early takes it down the day after Boxing Day?

[Emma765]

I think your life must be pretty empty (and miserable) if you have nothing better to do on a Sunday afternoon than start such an unpleasant thread about what other people do that has absolutely nothing to do with you.

[costacoffeecup]

Christmas is way too over the top and getting worse every year. But each to their own I guess. It does seem a bit like wishing your life away starting it so early but I can't put my finger on why I think that.

To be fair I've spent all weekend lounging at home praying for the next to eight weeks to pass so I can get this baby out. I'm hardly seizing life by its horns. Or a similar analogy that works.

[mimibunz]

I just think 2018 has been a miserable year for so many people that we’re grabbing on to the joy of the holidays a couple of weeks early. It’s actually quite a healthy thing to do!

[Sparklingbrook]

I feel sorry for people that work in retail. They have been doing Christmas since September.

It's too early for me. The people down their road have their migraine inducing blue outside lights flashing away, so that's going to be fun for over a month.

[costacoffeecup]

@U2HasTheEdge because it will be dead by then I guess? Our tree is usually looking a bit bald by Christmas and we do it second weekend in December.

[AllTakenSoRubbishUsername]

Why would my life be empty because I like to celebrate Christmas early these days? On the contrary now that I am lucky enough have a lovely husband, home and kids who love this time of year I like to stretch the magical time further, so now we usually put some decorations, lights, garlands etc up early in December, the tree normally about 10th though so it doesn't die. Why take the trouble to make a grumpy Mumsnet post about it! typing with my mouth full because I'm snaffling a mince pie

[OnceUponAGiraffe]

To the people saying “but it’s advent today at church so Christmas has begun”... that is a completely different liturgical season to Christmas. A season where traditionally churches aren’t decorated with flowers so that when Christmas comes, with its twelve days and followed by another 30ish days of Epiphany, (keep your decorations up til February, get us through the January grim) it is a joyous, colourful, tasty celebration following a period of dark, thoughtful contemplation with only the growing number of the candles on the wreath. I’m not an expert but I imagine a similar dark lead up to Yule... might happen?

Put a Christmas tree up whenever makes you happy, but don’t use Advent Sunday as an excuse.

[PiperPublickOccurrences]

I feel sorry for people that work in retail. They have been doing Christmas since September.

I think this is where my hatred of Christmas stems from. The year I worked in Debenhams as a christmas temp and had to put up with glitter, tinsel, elves and mariah fucking carey on a loop from October.

I volunteer in a charity shop and the head office guidelines were that we should start displaying Christmas cards the day after the August bank holiday weekend which I think was Tuesday 28th of August.

[U2HasTheEdge]

I certainly wouldn't put up a real tree really early. I would hate a tree to be looking bald by Xmas day.

[Longhairmightcare]

Wow OP I'm so glad I read this, I now realise that you are SO MUCH better than Other People. Thanks for highlighting this. Hopefully this has affirmed this fact to yourself as well, there's nothing better than that smug feeling you get knowing you're Better than everyone.

[roundtable]

'Tis the season to be jolly...or not according to the op.

I'm going to evaluate my empty life now. Any tips on how to make it better? Sorry if I don't reply to you soon though as I'll probably be doing stuff - with family and friends.

and breathe op. Different people enjoy different things. It makes the world more interesting imo.

[PromenadeStroll]

I agree with you OP. And I think you've got an interesting point. Its all pretty vacuous and materialistic, but that is of course what xmas has become. Shops and adverts seem to be completely hysterical. And I try to avoid actual shops until a week or two before xmas. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR XMAS MUSIC BLARING OUT IN M&S OR WHEREVER IN NOVEMBER!!!!

I also wonder if people seem less and less to find real meaning in things and cannot seem to celebrate in any way except like children-on-speed, whether its a wedding, xmas or anything.

Personally, come 1st December I am already enjoying the quieter, more peaceful time of year (the fog and mist and clouds seem to make everything softer and more quiet ). I do think about sorting some things out of the way, and some cleaning, so there is some preparation involved. But the whole decorations, mince pies and madness, I think is ridiculous. Instead of enjoying the 12 days of xmas 24 Dec - 6 Jan, many people have had enough by the 23rd Dec .

[PromenadeStroll]

I meant early decorations and mince pies!

[PromenadeStroll]

Piper I also feel sorry for retail staff. Imagine hearing xmas music for 6-8 weeks. It would do my head in.

And agree Sparkling about the screaming lights flashing on people's houses so early too. I have to close my curtains all of December cos of neighbours lights opposite.

[WhentheRabbitsWentWild]

Well, after a year of illness, problems, deaths etc I put my tree up on Thursday so shoot me .

Honestly, keep your nose out of business , You have no idea why anyone would put their tree up before you do , don't make them WRONG though.

[WaitroseCoffeeCostaCup]

Its all pretty vacuous and materialistic, but that is of course what xmas has become.

But it is advent...

[WhentheRabbitsWentWild]

PS your user name of MERRY Marigold don't really gel with your opinions . Nothing merry about your goady post .

[Amanduh]

My life is very full. I have a toddler. We put the tree up because he begged to, we have busy weekends up until Christmas, we love sitting with the lights twinkling, it’s festive. Oh and ‘December doesn’t equal christmas’ well it does, it equals advent so... We’ve now got a month of fairs, markets, parties, snuggly evenings and twinkly lights. Why would that make my life empty? Yours on the other hand...

[OftenHangry]

Does no one water their trees that they look bold in 3 weeks???

[PiperPublickOccurrences]

I think the problem I had with the "festive" music that it was about 10 songs, lasting half an hour. Work a 7 hour shift, you'd hear it 14 times. Listening to Cliff and his sodding mistletoe 14 times a day for 8 weeks would test anyone's sanity.

I was so, so grateful that I was only there for one christmas and quit in the new year to concentrate on Uni exams.

[paddlingwhenIshouldbeworking]

My life is rather full actually so, am putting the artificial trees up tomorrow as I have a free day and no idea when I'll get it done otherwise. Real tree will go up later but otherwise I'm getting things done when I can. Yesterday I had an annual christmas night out with old friends, because it gets harder to find a date the closer it is to Christmas.

So yes the season is starting and I'm enjoying it and don't feel remotely empty!

[Branleuse]

I think its fine to start early.
My mum always started late and then kept the tree up for ages after xmas.

I prefer to start at beginning of december and then im over it by the day after boxing day

[Branleuse]

Is "your life must be pretty empty" some sort of sneer?