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.

@LoisWooookersonsLastNerve

That’s already been covered earlier in the thread. Fake trees are ‘tacky’ and decidedly not middle class. Blue lights are also tacky. Plastic decorations are ‘tat.’

Sorry to tell you but you are, in fact, common. I’m sure this will be upsetting to you but try not to be too hurt while you’re dragging your ‘dusty plastic tree’ out of the loft.

class is more redundant these days so it’s a ridiculous argument

What do you mean it’s redundant?

Oop, while I was writing we’ve also been informed coloured lights and tinsel are not in the middle class bracket.

I think there's this assumption among some middle class types that the working classes do/should aspire to be more like them. That's definitely not how the working class parts of my family see it

I agree with this, but I would replace 'some middle class types' with 'the faux middle classes,' or 'middle class wannabes...' I am working-class, and never EVER get my genuine middle class and upper class friends, neighbours, and acquaintances trying to get me to be more like them. Why would they?

You have a point, but as I said, it's the people who want to present themselves as middle class who are judgy like this/like the OP. People who are working class but are DESPERATE for people to think they're middle class/posh! Sad.

@WorraLiberty

But you've already started a thread sneering at a homemade Christmas table decoration, so you do have some idea.

Like I said, just own the bun fight.

Glad to see it's not just me, who thinks this opinion that 'only working class folk put their Christmas decorations up early' is actually the OP's opinion, and not her 'friend's?'

@Andoffwego

Anecdotal evidence only, but I live at the bottom of a very posh street (the bottom of the street is much less posh than the rest of it, hence I can afford to rent there) which is right opposite a council of estate. Nobody on the Very Posh Street has decorations up until December, and usually a week or two into December rather than at the beginning, whereas kids of houses on the estate opposite have had full on Christmas lights, trees and other decorations up for a week or two already.

I side with the posh street although I don’t in any way have the income that the vast majority of the street residents do. I just like my tree etc up half way through December because then it feels more special and Christmassy. It would annoy me if it was up for longer and it wouldn’t feel special.

I live right next to a council estate.

There are no Christmas Trees here yet.

I will probably be the first with the tree. I was last year. I'm not on the council estate.

Rather a fake tree than a smelly lopsided real tree dying all over my living room floor. Not very Christmassy to me! Plus the environmental impact of real trees is actually more harmful than a good quality fake.

it's the people who want to present themselves as middle class who are judgy like this/like the OP. People who are working class but are DESPERATE for people to think they're middle class/posh! Sad.

OP has described herself as a "working class immigrant"?

@LittleGwyneth

I don't know anyone middle class / upper middle class who would put theirs up before the first of December, more commonly the middle of December. Also don't know anyone in that bracket who uses tinsel or coloured Christmas lights.

PMSL. You couldn't make this shit up. Who the fuck made YOU the authority on what is, and what is NOT 'chavvy' or middle class???

And as I said, many of the middle AND upper classes in my middle class/upper class village put theirs up in late November. And SHOCKER some have coloured lights too!

@CinnamonJellyBeans

Real Christmas trees digust me. Who the hell chops down a beautiful living tree and drapes it in plastic, only to throw it out a week later.

You do know that these trees are farmed for this specific reason, don't you? It's not like trees are a finite resource. And where we live, our council collects the trees in the New Year, and composts them for use in the parks in the borough.

WC background here. All extended family live in social housing. Some of them haven’t even taken their outdoor lights for at least 5 years

Taken down their lights

Don’t put mine up until at least mid December but I do love coloured lights and tinsel!

As a child our decorations & tree didn't go up until after we'd gone to bed on Christmas Eve. These days with children of my own we do it when school breaks up.

I'm not particularly posh but just over 12 days is fine for me before it all feels a bit tired.

The real Christmas class stereotype is that the later you open the presents, the posher you are. Not something that I think, but know others who do
That makes us definitely not posh. I put easy to play with, quiet toys in DC stockings to try and buy myself an extra half an hour in bed.

@Alwaysgoldtome

Rather a fake tree than a smelly lopsided real tree dying all over my living room floor. Not very Christmassy to me! Plus the environmental impact of real trees is actually more harmful than a good quality fake.

Not really. The carbon footprint of a plastic tree means you’ll have to re-use it for at least 10 years before it is better than a real tree. Plus the fake tree can only go to landfill.

Never forge helping on a school trip near Christmas and adorable lad about 8 explaining that when he was a grown up he was going to have lots of blue flashing lights and plastic reindeers on his house at Christmas. He explained his house was “very disappointing” at Christmas 😁. His mum is my friend they are both doctors with low key tasteful minimalist Christmas decor 😁

This is an interesting one - it's not solely an indicator of class background but also morr obvious factors, such as whether there are any children in the house, and what age they are! Case in point: DH and I went to Oxbridge and live on the outskirts of one of those cities. We put our tree up two weeks earlier once we had children. Plus, last year our single string of outside lights (multi-coloured) stayed on until mid-February to try and add a bit of cheer to the combination of post Christmas / weather / Covid restrictions. We're (I'm) planning to do the same this year 😁.

@LittleDandelionClock

If you're calling the OP a liar, why not just say so?

@Kanaloa

Oop, while I was writing we’ve also been informed coloured lights and tinsel are not in the middle class bracket.

We have an ultra posh friend who hates tinsel.

We 'tinsel bombed' her front garden last Christmas Eve.

[Tinsel is essential to a fake tree (especially cheap ones) to hide the mechanics / lack of branches.]

I like tinsel. Though not as much as I did - its a fashion trend thats on the way out. Beads are better. But tinsel definitely has its uses.

In terms of 'middle class' decorations, expect to see a snobbery about glittery baubles and plastic baubles over the next few years. The trend for the next few years is going to be towards wooden / paper / other natural material made decorations accompanied by a sanctious snobbery to go with it. Which completely ignores the fact that many of us have a cupboard / attic full of 'family heirloom' decorations accumulated over a number of years which will now be deemed unacceptable and we should bin them...

We're solidly middle class. DD1 has started to decorate for Christmas indoors because she loves decorating for any reason. But DH won't let us have more than a few lights on the house as apparently it would upset the neighbours. I think this may be a class thing. I'd love to have a house covered in lights and with a projector beaming Christmas lights onto it.

Decorations do seem very expensive, that also holds us back from buying more.

MC people who spend time discussing these things have a superiority complex and are under some illusion by following mc protocol they're special when really they're pathetic. 😉

I have a fairly broad spectrum of people on my Facebook, and thinking about it your friend is mostly right. I definitely don’t think one way or the other is “better” though, just each to their own. And if my friend who’s had her dc in and out of the hospital for months cheers herself up with some early Christmas decorations, who are any of us to judge?

@Porridgeislife The positive benefits of real trees in terms of reducing carbon only comes into effect after around 20 years and Christmas trees tend to be cut down in their teens so they don’t have that benefit. They also tend to displace crops and damage land by being mass produced to be cut down in their teens.

Plastic trees do need to be reused for at least 8 years but they are. I don’t know anyone who gets a new one every year. My family had one plastic tree for 28 years, replaced it around 8 years ago. I have a £450 fake Christmas tree that is excellent quality. It’s 5 years old now and I won’t be replacing it so overall it’s more beneficial to the environment than if my family and myself had real trees.