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 might not have much in the way of money but the reason we don't get a real tree is that our lovely fake one has served us perfectly for 15 years, plus I hate pine needles everywhere! lol
I put my decorations up early simply because my husband started the tradition the year me met of putting them up on the 1st of November to cheer me up after a very stressful time, and it became our little tradition!
He makes the home-made Nog (having some now lol) while the younger ones make paper-chains and the older ones get the tree down! Think we're too busy enjoying it all to care about whether its classy or not, think she might have too much time on her hands!

Im putting ours up in November because my kids are going to their bastard father for Christmas.

@Carriecakes80

I might not have much in the way of money but the reason we don't get a real tree is that our lovely fake one has served us perfectly for 15 years, plus I hate pine needles everywhere! lol I put my decorations up early simply because my husband started the tradition the year me met of putting them up on the 1st of November to cheer me up after a very stressful time, and it became our little tradition! He makes the home-made Nog (having some now lol) while the younger ones make paper-chains and the older ones get the tree down! Think we're too busy enjoying it all to care about whether its classy or not, think she might have too much time on her hands!

Your home sounds like a wonderful place to be! And your family sound lovely. Ignore the rude and judgy haters. Not only are they desperate to be thought of as middle class, but they sound lonely and unhappy to me too. And jealous of other people who they see with their cosy and lovely family Christmases, with their loving families.

They must be miserable and lonely and unhappy to come out with such toxic, vitriolic, spiteful words about people who are just enjoying their life with their family. Anyone who is happy and content with their life would not spew such bile.

NC’d for this in case anyone in my village is on here.

With all due respect to your friend, comments like this always seem to come from people who have some sort of bizarre class aspiration, believing themselves or their ‘ways’ to be somehow better than others. Decrying anything as being ‘common’ is just so unnecessary and unpleasant…

But, I’ll bite.

My decorations go up the second weekend in November. Every year. This is not simply because I adore Christmas (which I do) and want to string out the joy for as long as possible, but because putting up my decorations takes two people, three full days.

I have eleven Christmas trees ranging from 4ft to 12ft in height, and yes, rooms for each of them to go in including a billiard room and the annexe to our pool. These 11 do not include the trees that line our drive. The three days also does not include garlands, swags or wreaths…. Once the trees are all up, I manage these aspects separately. If it makes any difference (which apparently it does) all my lights are static warm white because that’s my personal favourite but I can equally understand why someone might love colour and flashing patterns. It’s personal choice. All that aside, I absolutely love seeing other people’s decorations up and on display as early as now - every single one brings a genuine smile to my face. Many of the decorations I see out and about are not ones I would necessarily choose for my own home but I love them no less. They’re joyful, just completely joyful, and it’s lovely. I understand not everyone feels joy at this time, but I do find it so so strange that those who do can be so profoundly judged for doing so.

I personally like December to be as stressless as it can be. Gifts are bought and wrapped long before December 1st. Food is ordered, some even cooked and stored. Cards have been printed, sealed and stamped and ready to mail on Dec 1st. I don’t have any desire to put my decorations UP in December because they are a part of enjoying ALL of December for me and my family, and unwinding towards the big day. I know I am extremely fortunate to have the means to live this way, and I am very, very aware of the privileges I have.

If all this makes me working class then that’s plain wonderful, and I embrace it with open arms because it brings me, my family and friends joy, and I can’t for the life of me see what’s so ‘common’ about that.

@Carriecakes80

I might not have much in the way of money but the reason we don't get a real tree is that our lovely fake one has served us perfectly for 15 years, plus I hate pine needles everywhere! lol I put my decorations up early simply because my husband started the tradition the year me met of putting them up on the 1st of November to cheer me up after a very stressful time, and it became our little tradition! He makes the home-made Nog (having some now lol) while the younger ones make paper-chains and the older ones get the tree down! Think we're too busy enjoying it all to care about whether its classy or not, think she might have too much time on her hands!

This is blissful!! Paper-chains make my heart go gathump-gathump!! Sounds wonderful xx

A lot of judgement round here. We’d probably be seen as middle class but we got our tree this weekend. Someone on a school chat group commented about the horror of seeing some peoples trees up so I sent a pic of mine. We got ours because, well why not? We just fancied it! We now have that bit longer to let the kids chuck decorations at it and for the branches to become floppy and a bit limp, it’s all part of the magic in my eyes and the kids love it. Why anyone has an opinion on when or how anyone else chooses to decorate their homes is beyond me. I think it’s great. You might not. That’s totally fine in my opinion.

When I think up all these horrible working-class hotels and shops I’m absolutely horrified. I wonder if they know what impression it conveys when they put Christmas out so early.

@Anitarest

When I think up all these horrible working-class hotels and shops I’m absolutely horrified. I wonder if they know what impression it conveys when they put Christmas out so early.

What makes this funnier is when I first read this, I misread your name as Antichrist…..

My upper middle class friend has just spent the evening showing my the Christmas lights he has erected round the turrets of his mansion. They excuse that the are early is they are having a week in Lapland!

Defo not just a working class thing in my experience xx

Department stores have to do Christmas early because their Christmas stops dead at 5pm on December 24th. Christmas in our house lasts until 6th January so it's only natural that it would start later. Nearly two full months of Christmas decorations would be a bit much for me.

(Although a lovely mate of mine used to put his lights up for Diwali and keep them up until Christmas - I'm not sure whether he was full of the festive spirit or just a bit lazy ).

Yea defo a class thing. The earlier the chavvier. I'm now middle class but used to be working class so I'm a mix of someone who wants to turn their house into Las Vegas but will wait until halfway through December to do it. Real poshos wait until Christmas Eve

Real poshos wait until Christmas Eve

We used to do this, primarily because we could get an enormous tree for a tenner on 24th

I didn't think so until you said it and now it rings true. In my area you see some terraces and semi ds and cul de sacs have started with decorations. Same story for Halloween. The big detatched mansions remain parse and pristine as usual.

Might be because working class more likely to be interested in crafty stuff/DIY. But there are exceptions obviously.

[quote Silverswirl]@MurielSpriggs you don’t think the immaculate conception has anything to do with Jesus being born? Ooookkkkkk… someone needs to go ajd watch a nativity play[/quote]
I think you might misunderstand what the immaculate conception is!

Thanks JingleberryChristmas🤣🤣🤣

Aww forgot about paper chains! I remember in primary we made these to decorate the classroom but I’ve never seen my kids make them. Maybe it’s not the in thing anymore!

@SouthernMamma

Yea defo a class thing. The earlier the chavvier. I'm now middle class but used to be working class so I'm a mix of someone who wants to turn their house into Las Vegas but will wait until halfway through December to do it. Real poshos wait until Christmas Eve

OMG! 'I'm now middle class and I used to be working class' just made me PMSL!

NEWSFLASH, you are still working class, through and through. In fact everything about the way you speak screams 'working class who is DESPERATE for people to think you're middle class.'

No-one thinks you are middle class. No-one. And you are not.

@Anitarest

When I think up all these horrible working-class hotels and shops I’m absolutely horrified. I wonder if they know what impression it conveys when they put Christmas out so early.

Why are you walking through working class areas

I would only ever be seen in a working class area on one of our ladies tours of the Manchester slums. I would simply never ever walk through the alone, what if someone presumes YOU are working class? They might think, rather than sneering at the tacky decorations, that you were admiring them!

Please definite working vs

Also, @SouthernMamma the QUEEN puts her Christmas stuff up early. So I guess she is chavvy?

LMAO!

@Kanaloa

Could someone please define middle vs working class for me?

We've got the lights on our house, nothing inside the house yet but our 3 year old loves it!

@gemloving

Could someone please define middle vs working class for me?

We've got the lights on our house, nothing inside the house yet but our 3 year old loves it!

Working class = people who like to have an inflatable illuminated Santa on their roof shortly after Guy Fawkes night

@LittleDandelionClock

Isn’t it absolute insanity? What a number the class system has done on us when we can’t even recognise that realistically the grand majority of us are working class. And we’re so busy tearing each other down for such crimes as live laugh love signs and colourful Christmas lights that we don’t even bother to see we’re all mainly in the same low paid boat and doing our best to enjoy the Christmas season.

Wish I’d known years ago all I had to do to be middle class was hold off on the Christmas decs. Must jot that down on the Eton application for ds, I do want them to know we’re solidly middle class.

@JingleberryChristmas

NC’d for this in case anyone in my village is on here.

With all due respect to your friend, comments like this always seem to come from people who have some sort of bizarre class aspiration, believing themselves or their ‘ways’ to be somehow better than others. Decrying anything as being ‘common’ is just so unnecessary and unpleasant…

But, I’ll bite.

My decorations go up the second weekend in November. Every year. This is not simply because I adore Christmas (which I do) and want to string out the joy for as long as possible, but because putting up my decorations takes two people, three full days.

I have eleven Christmas trees ranging from 4ft to 12ft in height, and yes, rooms for each of them to go in including a billiard room and the annexe to our pool. These 11 do not include the trees that line our drive. The three days also does not include garlands, swags or wreaths…. Once the trees are all up, I manage these aspects separately. If it makes any difference (which apparently it does) all my lights are static warm white because that’s my personal favourite but I can equally understand why someone might love colour and flashing patterns. It’s personal choice. All that aside, I absolutely love seeing other people’s decorations up and on display as early as now - every single one brings a genuine smile to my face. Many of the decorations I see out and about are not ones I would necessarily choose for my own home but I love them no less. They’re joyful, just completely joyful, and it’s lovely. I understand not everyone feels joy at this time, but I do find it so so strange that those who do can be so profoundly judged for doing so.

I personally like December to be as stressless as it can be. Gifts are bought and wrapped long before December 1st. Food is ordered, some even cooked and stored. Cards have been printed, sealed and stamped and ready to mail on Dec 1st. I don’t have any desire to put my decorations UP in December because they are a part of enjoying ALL of December for me and my family, and unwinding towards the big day. I know I am extremely fortunate to have the means to live this way, and I am very, very aware of the privileges I have.

If all this makes me working class then that’s plain wonderful, and I embrace it with open arms because it brings me, my family and friends joy, and I can’t for the life of me see what’s so ‘common’ about that.

Are you the tiktok lady?