Early Christmas decorations = working class

[FaLaLaLaLaaaar]

I know Mumsnet loves a class debate, so thought I’d share an argument I had with a friend last night.

She insists that only working class people put their Christmas decorations up in November, I insisted she’s a snob and class is more redundant these days so it’s a ridiculous argument.

So Vipers, I’ll ask the question as if it is coming from me to make it easier:

AIBU to think only working class people put their Christmas decorations up in November?

Yabu - No, don’t be such a snob, middle class people do too.

YANBU - Yes, it’s a working class thing.

I will be showing her the results of this.

@ShinyMe

Well I've noticed on Instagram that Highclere and Chatsworth both have all their lights and tress up already, so I reckon your mate might not be the font of all knowledge.

They are businesses. I'd lay a months salary that their private family quarters are not decorated!

@FaLaLaLaLaaaar

Oh no! It looks like she’s going to win this argument!

Although I do see the point about real trees not lasting from November to January.

The real question here is - why does your friend think that being working class is shameful and synonymous with having bad taste? This suggests that she does think that.

@supremelybaffled practically everything can be deemed to be class-based.

And no matter how much people bang on about their friend who owns half of Rutland but loves to go for a pint after the football, it is simply true that there are distinct social groups who generally do things in distinctly different ways.

The reason it starts to get tedious is that so many people seem to think that calling something common clinches the argument.

(as well as the outdated "poshest person I know drives an old banger and wears 50s cardigans" line)

I really want to disagree with this but I can't. It's white company vs home bargains.

Mil lives on an estate which would already rival the Blackpool illuminations. The Santa stop here signs have obviously been bought in bulk.

The further away you go into the next district, the sparser and whiter the decorations get.

That said, I'd happily have white lights up all year round. We do in the garden. Think they're lovely.

and if you're wondering what class you are, ask yourself which drinking establishments you would be uncomfortable walking into

It's funny because growing up we only put our tree up for the 12 days of Christmas, very sparsely decorated with tasteful hanging decorations. I always assumed that meant we were poor 😂 I wanted nothing more than those foil hanging bells and garish tinsel, those were for rich folk 😬 We don't do a traditional Xmas at all now, we go away on holiday instead.

I get a rental tree (living and in a pot) which can only really be kept indoors for three-three and a half weeks or so, or I would definitely have had mine up for a week at least by now! It's arriving on the 13th of December this year and being collected again on January 3rd.

I have got some fairy lights around the edge of my 55" TV though, so I am patently scum .

I'm dead common and haven't got my tree up yet. I feel like I'm letting the side down.

DM is definitely not working class. Big house. Puts white lights on all the trees etc down the drive. Started this weekend or she'll never be done by Christmas. She'll have some people help her as well usually.

Our tree went up today. It will take the next 10 days to do the stair garlands, kitchen garlands, outdoor trees and dining room. Awful last 2 Christmases through pregnancy and covid. Going to be Christmas ready by Dec 1st and thoroughly enjoy a month of festivities. Hope to have wrapping finished by the first week of Dec.

If you have a large house, and you love Christmas, you can not start decorating two days before Christmas.

I'm secretly working class because I start getting the interior decorations out at the end of November but I don't put any exterior/window decorations up until the posh old lady across the road puts her wreath on the door. I'll be doomed if she dies because she always knows which colour bin to put out too

I think I read on here that people who put it up early take it down early to clean & working class tend to clean more. 🤷🏻‍♀️

If you have a large house, and you love Christmas, you can not start decorating two days before Christmas.

You can if you have staff

I live in a mostly WC area and the decorations are going up already. In my old, mostly MC area, you'd never see them anywhere near this early.

My DC love seeing them locally, so we enjoy the early decorations. I don't put mine up yet though, must be the MC conditioning?!

It’s common to put your decorations up early. Nobody does that on my middle class street of detached houses. But next to us is a street of semi-detached that cost half as much, and several of them have lights up. Also my street sticks to white lights whereas the semis have coloured lights.

@TooBigForMyBoots 👏 very funny. 🤣

@lawnotorder

If you have a large house, and you love Christmas, you can not start decorating two days before Christmas.

You can if you have staff

As I said, DM has people helping her. There is no way in the world she (and they) would get her drive way (and that's without even thinking about the rest of the house) done in two days.

Off topic. But in my new middle class word I will be putting warm white lights on the outdoor trees.

Question one - how do you attach them?
Question two - is it also acceptable to hang large baubles on the outdoor trees😂

@MollysDolly I wasn't just referring to your mum though, is she the only lady with a large house in the world? 😆

I work in a very deprived area, think windows boarded up etc and one house on the street has had their decorations up since before Halloween. More are popping up every day. Where I live is a much nicer estate in a nearby village (I grew up in council accommodation before anyone takes that as a dig) and iv not really seen any, although mine will probably be up next weekend.

Our neighbours had the Xmas lights guys in on 1st November. Very much a middle class neighbourhood, loads have followed suit and started putting them up. Ours are going up
Today.

I put the tree up 7-14 days before Xmas day - my take from this is that people with taste, discernment and intelligence put up their tree 7-14 days before Xmas day.

Calling it Xmas, instead of Christmas, lacks those qualities you so humbly brag about..

@Mellowyellow222

Off topic. But in my new middle class word I will be putting warm white lights on the outdoor trees.

Question one - how do you attach them?
Question two - is it also acceptable to hang large baubles on the outdoor trees😂

You kind of Just wind them around the trunk and if you have a sturdy ladder, wind them around some lower branches. They tend to stay attached on their own.

YY to the giant baubles, they look really good hanging down from the trees (eyes neighbours display)

We live in quite a pretty, MC village so lots of understated, outdoor white lights and tasteful wreaths hanging on Farrow & Ball painted front doors. Though for contrast the village tree is always bedecked in lurid mismatched strings of yellow, blue and red lights.
My experience is that the older people in a village are more likely to be WC who moved there when houses were cheaper. Then property prices went through the roof and newer residents (under 50) tend to be MC who paid a lot more for their houses. The result is MC houses with white lights and a village tree organised by elderly WC parish council and covered in WC coloured lights.

YANBU where I live the more affluent homes wait until mid December & less affluent homes tend to start end of November. No idea why 🤷🏻‍♀️

I think Christmas, in general, starts earlier now.

All of the commercial stuff didn't used to start till December but now it starts in November. My town did their lights switch on today, Santa's grottos are open and Christmas music was playing when I went into a cafe the other day.

Growing up we always went and picked a real tree on the 19th December and it was taken down on the 5th of January having spilled pine needles everywhere. I sued to put mine up early December until I had kittens and now it goes up mid December and taken down on 2nd January.

Here's a picture of The Dome in Edinburgh which is pretty posh. They do their festive menus from 2nd November. It is utterly beautiful and a very popular Christmas place to visit over the winter.