To not put Christmas tree up yet?

[fluffedupferretonsteroids]

My DP really wants to put the tree up early this year. His reasoning is that we have just moved into our own place and it would be nice to have as long as possible for our DS who is one. He wants to do it tomorrow if he gets enough people to agree with him.

The reason I dont want to is we havent finished unpacking and it's all down to me. He isnt helping as he brought all the stuff to the new flat, without my help. We think this is a fair trade.

I cant however finish unpacking yet as there is storage issues. Tools still left behind by people who helped get the flat ready to live in and some drawers not yet been brought over.

So AIBU in not wanting to put it up until the flat is completely finished?

I'm old school: up on Christmas Eve, down on the Epiphany.

As for the OP, definitely wait until the flat is ready.

Surely the people leaving their tree up until Jan 6th are in a very small minority these days!

I am not familiar with the "12 days of Christmas" any further than the song, not something we have ever celebrated.

It's fairly self-explanatory. Christmas lasts for 12 days. Christmas Day is day 1.

Surely the people leaving their tree up until Jan 6th are in a very small minority these days!

I find that a bit sad. People might feel Christmas only lasts till NYE but it doesn't. It's a set time. Most businesses I think keep to it. You don't often see bars and restaurants with their decorations down before 6th Jan.

We do ours mid-December and take it down on 6th January. Maybe it depends on whether you are (like us) able to take time off between Christmas and New Year or not, as we definitely see that week as full-on Christmas. We don’t start eating Christmas food until Christmas Eve so have a lot to get through!

Also taking down decorations on Boxing Day has always sounded like a distressing way to spend the laziest day in the year to me.

why would anyone put up a Christmas tree so early? 🤔

It's fairly self-explanatory. Christmas lasts for 12 days. Christmas Day is day 1.

but based on a single song it's not enough reason to start following the concept if it's not something you are familiar with.

By the 06th of January, everybody is back at work and school, we have all moved on from Christmas, in my home there is absolutely no reason whatsoever to keep the tree.

It's nice in December, to start looking forward to Christmas, but once the day has come and gone, no need for us.

but based on a single song it's not enough reason to start following the concept if it's not something you are familiar with.

It's not based on a song, its based on Christianity! en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Days_of_Christmas

And I'm a bloody atheist and know that!

Please don't, I remember as a child Xmas was special, tree up 2 weeks before Xmas so wasn't long to wait for santa and making little tinsel AND Cotton wool Santa's out of toilet roll tubes in school.

Now Christmas just doesn't feel special it lasts so long for kids that it's lost its appeal

Can he not wait a few more weeks

Ours goes up first weekend of advent. Sometimes that does actually fall at the end of November. 1st Sunday of Advent this year is 1st December so we will start decorating on 30th November.

Surely the people leaving their tree up until Jan 6th are in a very small minority these days!

We have a lot of decorations so we do start taking them down a bit before the 6th January but the main tree and the crib NEVER come down before Epiphany.

I think the difference here is that some of us here see "Christmas" as the period from just before 25th December until after new year when offices re-open and children go back to school whereas other people see "Christmas" as early December until Boxing Day at which point it's "all over" and there's no point in have the decs up.

I'm clearly not the only one who likes the post-Christmas laziness and sees "Christmas" continuing to early January.

It's absolutely idiotic to put up a tree in November. Even the first 2 weeks of December is far too soon imo.

It's completely naff.

MrsTerryPratchett
your tradition may be the 12 days of Christmas, but not everybody follows the same or is even based in England.

Others, like me, follow the tradition of Advent (which many people vaguely know with the advent calendars). We can still celebrate Ephiphany.

*Epiphany even

Others, like me, follow the tradition of Advent

Advent is the season that precedes Chriatmas. It starts on the 4th Sunday before Christmas (not 1 December although obviously some years it is, as in this year) and last till the 24th.

You can have your decorations up when you like and you can stop celebrating Christmas when it's only just started if you like but you can't claim that doing that is following the tradition of Advent. They're different things

Christmas is a whole season In our house.
I love having the tree up early.
I notice irl (and to a degree here..) that many people take a surprisingly rigid and judgemental stance on how 'ludicrous' or 'idiotic' it is to do so. whilst those with our trees up are just enjoying Christmas too much to be annoyed or care about those who don't want to.

However I like the house to all be in order and to do a huge clean before the tree goes up, so in your situation I wouldn't do it yet. Last year I had no tree at all as we were midmove and it felt too depressing in a half boxed up house

DD's birthday is a week into December so we don't put the tree up until after that

@BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou we do the same- the crib isn't complete until Epiphany so you can't take it down. We only put our crib up on Christmas Eve and the children put Mary, Joseph and the animals in before they go to bed. We add the baby, angels and shepherds overnight and then the wise men appear on the mantelpiece on on about 3rd Jan but only reach the crib on Jan 6th . My children are teens/adults now but we still keep the tradition. When they were little they would run to the crib to see if the baby was there on Christmas morning even before they went to look for presents.
Christmas isn't over for us until Epiphany, and although we give and receive our main presents on Christmas Day, everyone gets something small in their shoes on Jan 6th.

You can have your decorations up when you like and you can stop celebrating Christmas when it's only just started if you like but you can't claim that doing that is following the tradition of Advent. They're different things

Exactly.

Do what you like. You are entitled to your own opinions but not your own facts.

And Muppet I'm not based in England nor is my family English.

You can have your decorations up when you like and you can stop celebrating Christmas when it's only just started if you like but you can't claim that doing that is following the tradition of Advent. They're different things

of course they are not different things! Or not for everybody.

You start lighting the Advent candles one at a time, and it makes sense to have the decoration up along the Candles decoration.

There's no law, but there's a logic there, which is followed by everybody I know. It's not MY opinion, it's the tradition followed by everyone I know - who are celebrating that way obviously, my muslim friends might put a tree up, but don't go any further than that.

Other homes have all the decorations ready for the arrival of St Nicholas. There really are so many ways, and most do not include the "12 days of Christmas".

of course they are not different things! Or not for everybody.

People may choose to conflate celebrating them but they are different things. They are created by the Christian calendar. Of course millions of people celebrate without reference to that and have the freedom to do so. But the fact is that they are different seasons that run sequentially.

But the fact is that they are different seasons that run sequentially.

I don't get how the Advent season can be a different "season" from the pre-Christmas period...

I don't get how the Advent season can be a different "season" from the pre-Christmas period

It isn't! Pre-Christmas is exactly what it is. Pre being the operative part of that sentence. Advent = 4th Sunday before Christmas to Christmas Eve. Christmas = Chistmas Day to Epiphany (or possibly Candlemas depending on your denominational outlook).

Just as Lent precedes Easter.

Ours goes up on the 1st December, down on the 30th December (to busy on 31st) as dislike the tree up for New Year’s Day.

It isn't! Pre-Christmas is exactly what it is. Pre being the operative part of that sentence. Advent = 4th Sunday before Christmas to Christmas Eve. Christmas = Chistmas Day to Epiphany (or possibly Candlemas depending on your denominational outlook).

yes, exactly. Hence the decoration coming up "early", that was point.