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.

@RedToothBrush

I saw this browsing earlier

www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/christmas/christmas-decorations/pink-flowers-bauble-christmas-tree-decoration.html

john lewis had some

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-gemstone-forest-dried-flower-bauble-pink/p5493693

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-blush-coast-frosted-flower-bauble-pink/p5493686

I'm genuinely upper class. Father has a real,life mansion and there's some titles somewhere.

We live in the lodge at the end of the drive.

We have real Christmas trees because we like them, a mixture of coloured and warm white lights on the trees. White lights on the trees lining the drives.

Baubles unfortunately were a job lot in ikea a few years ago

I love these threads and the stereotypes of all the classes.

I come from a working class family, when I was a child we always had a real tree and never out the decorations up early. Now I'm classed as middle class (still consider myself working class) and we normally put decorations up by the 1st as the kids love them. We now have a fake tree, more for ease of use than anything.

I live in a predominantly middle class neighbourhood and loads of people have them up early and also have fake trees 🤷🏼‍♀️

I live in the middle of a council estate on the edge of a pash area of Surrey. From what I have seen it seems pretty evenly split. Some of my neighbours have decorations up while others (me included) are mumbling that it's far to early. Some of the big houses near town also have decorations up so I don't think it's class related. I have noticed though that the people who put them up tend to have someone at home all day.

Our neighbours have had a tree up since the end of October. They are a family of Hindu doctors from India. They have staff!

@traka

I would absolutely agree with your friend

It's also the same when England are in the Euros or World Cup. You don't see flags and banners draped across the front of houses in nice areas

Another thing you don't see is dirty old bedsheets zip tied to roundabouts wishing Stacey a happy eighteenth birthday

The nicer the area the classier the people

Don't get me started on people leaving furniture and washing machines in their front gardens

Don’t hold back or anything mate 👁👄👁

@BorlandRd

Perhaps it was a class thing in the past but in 2020 after the shit year everyone had, people in my town put up their decorations early, and this is a pretty affluent middle class town! I’ve seen a few window decorations so far, and the town’s Christmas lights go on on Thursday next week, so I’m guessing that will be the green light for people to get decorating :)

Ditto here, including myself. A lot of people waited till December 1st but I'd say pretty much all domestic decs were up and shining/flashing by then.

@traka

I would absolutely agree with your friend

It's also the same when England are in the Euros or World Cup. You don't see flags and banners draped across the front of houses in nice areas

Another thing you don't see is dirty old bedsheets zip tied to roundabouts wishing Stacey a happy eighteenth birthday

The nicer the area the classier the people

Don't get me started on people leaving furniture and washing machines in their front gardens

In our (mixed) block of flats there's a clear divide in balcony usage between those with a little round silvery table and two chairs, and those with an old fridge, some bin bags and something from under the bonnet of a car. For the benefit of Mumsnet, one quiet day I'm going to knock on doors and make an assessment of the socio-economic class of the occupants (based on accent, clothing and size of their TV if I can get a glimpse).

[quote lawnotorder]@RedToothBrush

I saw this browsing earlier

www.rockettstgeorge.co.uk/christmas/christmas-decorations/pink-flowers-bauble-christmas-tree-decoration.html

john lewis had some

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-gemstone-forest-dried-flower-bauble-pink/p5493693

www.johnlewis.com/john-lewis-partners-blush-coast-frosted-flower-bauble-pink/p5493686

[/quote]
The Rocket St George one is like what I'm looking for (but my budget won't stretch that far!)

hopefully it will go on sale

[quote merryhouse]@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)[/quote]
practically everything can be deemed to be class-based
Oh, I see what's happened here. You appear to be labouring under the misapprehension that I don't know that already.

Nobody is denying that there are distinct social groups. The problem is that even in the 21st century, some of those groups still look condescendingly down on those deemed to be of an inferior class; and gleefully enjoy pointing out the differences to prove their point. Such as in threads like this. Hence my original WTF, as I thought: "Not another one of these threads... "

I think people put them according to the 12th night back then. We never put ours up until the 12th during the 80's/90's through tradition not snobbery.Nobody put them up before the 12th then for religious reasons.People would find if you had them up before 12th night in the 80's.

Surely 12th night is after Christmas?

You're all wrong. The true middle classes have Christmas delivered in a van from Harrods a la Margot Leadbetter.
I thought EVERYONE knew that.

Anyone with blue lights is just an inconsiderate arse

Can someone explain why blue lights are so much more offensive and inconsiderate than every other light colour? “Inconsiderate” is a strange choice of word.

@BeefSupreme

Anyone with blue lights is just an inconsiderate arse

Can someone explain why blue lights are so much more offensive and inconsiderate than every other light colour? “Inconsiderate” is a strange choice of word.

I suppose because if you see blue lights flashing it tends to mean emergency services are around.

@Needspace21

Also working class / middle class is a pointless distinction these days. There are the uber rich and the rest of us plebs.

Truest words on this thread.

I don't know when working class came to be such a negative thing

I think it’s only considered to be negative by a certain sector. I think the middle classes are split into three. One group (hopefully the largest) is just merrily getting on with their lives. One group is made up of university educated homeowners doing white collar jobs, desperately clinging on to being working class because their parents were a bit skint once and they see it as being a bit more interesting than being middle class. And then you have the third group, the Hyacinth Buckets, who look upon the working classes with total disdain because they have their nails done and their eyebrows done, they shop in B&M and ASDA, they have big tellies and their DC open loads of presents and they have the ‘wrong’ colour fairy lights. And it’s this group who think they’re something special and are totally unaware that they are a symbol of mockery and ridicule for both the working classes and the posh.

Well I was working class and am now middle class.

Christmas is way too confusing so we just have to ignore it in our house in case we get something wrong

It's telling that those bastions of the working classes Harrods, Harvey Nicks and Selfridges get their lights up in November.

Lights should be up for the first week of December at our house as the street does a lights turning on event; whether the decorations go up a little before or after is based on when we have time. Like others earlier in the thread, we've clearly lost status this year due to hunting for lights (easier to put up decorations than tidy away again). I do like the house sparkling with Christmas cheer, even if it's a bit early.

I think it’s only considered to be negative by a certain sector. I think the middle classes are split into three. One group (hopefully the largest) is just merrily getting on with their lives. One group is made up of university educated homeowners doing white collar jobs, desperately clinging on to being working class because their parents were a bit skint once and they see it as being a bit more interesting than being middle class. And then you have the third group, the Hyacinth Buckets, who look upon the working classes with total disdain because they have their nails done and their eyebrows done, they shop in B&M and ASDA, they have big tellies and their DC open loads of presents and they have the ‘wrong’ colour fairy lights. And it’s this group who think they’re something special and are totally unaware that they are a symbol of mockery and ridicule for both the working classes and the posh.
This is spot on.

I'd also add that the largest group are also well aware that being working class and being (for lack of a better word before the thread police launch at me) chavvy are not synonymous.

The largest group might think some things are a bit silly or poor taste, or notice that some areas near them tend to have garish outdoor lights from November 1st, but they'd generally keep their thoughts to themselves unless discussing anonymously on mumsnet because they have no desire to sit over coffee moaning about blue fairy lights.

Also working class / middle class is a pointless distinction these days. There are the uber rich and the rest of us plebs.

But it's a good distraction to have the plebs fighting amongst themselves

I don't live in an area that's considered working class, there are 3 houses on the street next to us with decorations up.

I'd rather be gutter class than let this bother me.

Common little people put their decorations up before we do. Vulgar, nouveau riche people put them up later. HTH.

In general yes, working class people put their decs up in late November. Middle class people put decs up in December, very middle class people put theirs up in mid December.

I'm middle class.

But working class blood and family.

So first generation MC.

Growing up the decorations weren't put up until mid December but I LOVE Christmas so ours are going up in a week. Kids can't wait.

Probably the first house on our (naice, private) road. But there's a huge detached house round the corner who already have theirs up so maybe I'm wrong.