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.

I always have a real tree that we usually buy around the 5th of December. I then decorate it with multicoloured lights, multicoloured tinsel and multicoloured baubles. I have a cheap pack of plastic multicoloured baubles that I bought during my student days and still use, and most years I buy one nicer bauble to add to the collection. I don't care if others would considering the tree garish, the cacophony of colours brings me joy every year .

We put ours up the weekend, it has lifted my mood.
I have lots of beautiful baubles from over the years, family always buy me decent ones as gifts, there is some from my childhood.
I truly enjoyed putting it up this year, enjoyed the precious memories of the people gone who bought me some of them.

@Curtaintassels

Hmmmm I’m not sure on this. I think this really depends on the children’s names. Also the price of the baubles, as explained upthread. If they cost about twenty to forty pounds I think you’re okay.

I still have a couple of 60+ year old plastic! bells (cherished because of childhood memories) that go on our (real) tree every year. Does that make me the non-snobble winner?

[quote Kanaloa]@Curtaintassels

Hmmmm I’m not sure on this. I think this really depends on the children’s names. Also the price of the baubles, as explained upthread. If they cost about twenty to forty pounds I think you’re okay.[/quote]
My dc names are aspirational middle class so I am thinking chav?

@RaRaReba

multicoloured lights and no colour scheme for the tree Those are two different things! Multicoloured lights are tacky, but multicoloured baubles are not. Having a matching colour scheme for the tree is what’s tacky. It shows you’ve bought a full set of new matching decorations in one go and don’t have baubles that have been inherited or individually purchased for a high price. Some of my baubles cost £20-40 each, there’s no way anyone but the super rich would buy a whole tree’s worth of those in one go. DH buys me one or two baubles per year as a Christmas gift, some of our baubles previously belonged to our parents.

Are your parents called Richard and Hyacinth by any chance?
Tbh your posts are coming across a bit too try hard and more like someone trying to convince themselves they are middle class.

@DaphneDeloresMoorhead

if you look at somewhere like Harrods or Selfridges the top-end baubles are £300 each Those are for the nouveau riche

I own baubles from both places and am most certainly not 'nouveau riche'.

My dc names are aspirational middle class so I am thinking chav?

yep

Think Ottilie, Hugo, largely rejected by the upper class now.

@lawnotorder

My dc names are aspirational middle class so I am thinking chav?

yep

I thought so.

Is nouveau riche worse than working class?

@lawnotorder

Is nouveau riche worse than working class?

Yes

I feel like it is

My dc names are aspirational middle class so I am thinking chav?

I don’t know about that. Aspirational middle class names… specially made baubles that won’t match other baubles on the tree… I think you might have yourself some snobbles.

Live and let live, l personally think it would be extremely boring if we all put up our decorations at the same time.
l made a scarecrow for my front garden in lockdown and soon she will be adorned with a santa hat and stocking, maybe a few twinkle lights, its just abit of fun, not everything has to adhere to a strict schedule.

Kind of excited I might have some snobbles.

@lawnotorder

Is nouveau riche worse than working class?

Oh yes. Big time. It’s the difference between scampering around behind Lord and Lady Grantham serving them while dressed in your smart footman livery and being the chauffeur who married the daughter and tried to worm his way into the family.

The nouveau riche are classless and tacky. They drive their flashy cars and wear their designer clothes and think they’re as good as the middle and upper classes!

You can always tell ‘really posh’ people because they will have messy bushy hair, wear riding breeches and old wellies that cost a fiver twenty years ago, and will drive a land rover that frequently has to stop to herd a crowd of pedigree dogs back into it. They will also speak with an aura of pure intelligence and good breeding.

@verymiddleaged

The UK is full of unspoken class markers. How different groups celebrate Christmas is definitely one of them.

That doesn't mean every person in each group behaves identically or in the way you would except most people in their socio-economic group to behave.

Broadly speaking I think your friend is right OP.

Absolutely right.

And non judgemental. No need for the thread to have deteriorated into class war. It should have been more of a model of anthropological field observation. I do find class markers fascinating, but then, I started as an anthropologist. Everything means something including the exceptions.

Oh, and Christmas trees are a crop just like Brussels sprouts or wheat. No-one's hacking them out of virgin forest. They're grown in rows out the back of smallholdings, or on land where nothing much else grows.

Is nouveau riche worse than working class? Hyperventilating with shock. 🤯
There is no such thing, didn't ya know that people change class once they finish third level education.

They drive their flashy cars and wear their designer clothes and think they’re as good as the middle and upper classes!

How very dare they! 😱

What the hell are aspirational middle class names????

@moggiek

What the hell are aspirational middle class names????

I literally gave examples…

We've just put our tree up. We're really getting into the spirit of Xmas this year as we have friends coming to stay who are Christmas crackers!

Ordinarily it woukd be the first weekend in December. We usually have only a tree but go all out with baubles for it. I do like a gorgeous tree. Fake as I hate the bloody needles of real ones.

As for the generalising and stereotyping going on in this thread. We'll, it's all utter snobbery.

And non judgemental. No need for the thread to have deteriorated into class war. It should have been more of a model of anthropological field observation. I do find class markers fascinating, but then, I started as an anthropologist. Everything means something including the exceptions.

Oh, please. A class war is exactly what op wanted when she started this thread. She didn’t start it to make an innocent wide eyed observation about the working classes or the different ways people celebrate Christmas.

It was to laugh at the tasteless poor people putting up their gaudy blue lights and cheap trees too early. How many conversations have you had where your friends say suddenly ‘don’t you think blue lights are soooo working class? Tacky.’

@Curtaintassels thanks - literally