AIBU to think that people who put Christmas decorations up super early are just attention seekers?

[HahBumhug]

My neighbour has had her house decorated fully for Christmas now for almost two weeks- they started going up on Oct 31st. Fully lit tree in the window, outdoor lights, Christmas wreath on the door- the works.

She’s done this since she moved next door to me five years ago and I assume she did it before that too.

Since I’ve known her, she’s also posted on Insta and her WhatsApp status each year on either Christmas Day or the 26th to show her decorations coming down and a general “I can’t spend another minute looking at them” message.

If she put them up at Christmas and not at Halloween, she wouldn’t be looking at them for all that long.

She’s one of these “I’m daft me” types.

I know there are some exceptions where decorations are put up for different reasons like someone with a terminal illness, a family celebrating early before someone emigrates etc. but those are rare so I’m not factoring then into my thoughts around this.

Am I being unreasonable for thinking that someone who put Christmas decorations up at the end of Oct/early Nov is attention-seeking?

Absolutely NOT before Rememberance Sunday.

It is in extremely poor taste and very disrespectful

It does seem childish.

Pulling them down before the new year is depressing.

It's my opinion which I'm sharing on a discussion thread about Christmas decs. I don't personally lecture people over it.

I'm sure people do things that you'd consider strange or odd so bore off with your sanctimonious lecture.

It's not for me (and I'm glad I have no neighbours nearby who do this), but I'd assume people who do it simply enjoy their Christmas decorations and "can't wait".

The part about taking them down on the 26th and making a big fuss about being tired of seeing them is certainly odd, though! I'd expect the kind of person who puts Christmas decor up at the beginning of November to also be the type to leave it up until at least New Year's Day.

Yes isn't it

I don’t think it’s attention seeking. Why would it be? People can do as they like. Personally, I don’t like it. Christmas decorations go up on Christmas Eve, or a few days before, if we haven’t time. We tend to bring them down for12th Night in January but some we keep till Candlemas in February.

I see what you mean @glasshole I wouldn't have thought of that before. Good point 👍

I think some people just really love Christmas - if it makes them feel happy and joyful, so why not. They are not doing anyone any harm.

I don’t know why some people have an issue with it, really. There’s more important things going on in the world to focus on.

If it's the celebration, decorations, lights and cheer they like there are other festivals they could celebrate? It's probably understandable in the cold, dark winter months.

Not necessarily religious either, even if there's a 'St.' name attached. There are associated activities and meals if you look them up.

We celebrate St. Nicholas day at the beginning of December and I still put a couple of chocolates out for my now older children. We don't have the general Christmas decorations up then, though, as it still feels too early. We also celebrate solstice and do an activity on St. Barbara's Day. Though we're not religious or pagan.

I'm not being snippy at you, so please don't think I am, but it doesn't matter if they meant it for my circumstances or not. It was the over the top and judgemental on their part.

People have a variety of reasons why they might choose to stick a tree up earlier than another person deems socially acceptable. You never get this sort of unhinged nastiness for someone who doesn't decorate at all.

We decorated at the end of November a few years ago. We had bought a new tree and lots of new lights and decorations but had nowhere to store them. It seemed silly hauling them all up into the loft for a week or two so we thought 'what the hell?' and decided to just put them up. I didn't expect it to feel so wrong! I felt self conspicuous and uncomfortable until someone else in our street put them up a few days later!🤣

I’m one of those up mid November down Boxing Day (to make space for the toys) because that’s what my family like and it makes us happy, I don’t feel the need to make it a public display tho so it’s not really bvious as a house by passer or post it on social media because it’s not about others or attention seeking as you put it it’s for the enjoyment of those in our home and I don’t particularly care what others think

Mine will be up last Sunday of November and down 28th December (due to us being away for a few days afterwards and I refuse to return home, unpack, clean house and prepare work and school clothing as well as taking down decorations... So I take decorations down and give the house a good clean beforehand. DH takes DC out to do something fun at my request as it's easier to go it alone that day.
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I love Christmas and so do DC. The decorations are lovely and calming for a few before all the December excitement starts. Doing everything too late would mean it became a chore and unenjoyable for me.

I don't decorate outside and during December use the string battery lights and tree lights instead of big lights or lamps to prevent additional energy consumption.

It’s not so much the putting them up early thing. It’s the posts about how it’s all over and they’re bored of them so the decs are coming down. It drags down the mood and most of us aren’t fed up by that point as we haven’t put ours up a quarter of a year before the day.
if she dislikes them so much after a set amount of time why not just push it all back a couple of weeks‽

its clearly something that makes her happy to do… why do people have to try and stomp on something that makes one person happy and doesn’t effect anyone else in the slightest. Bore off

I like the lights, they make me feel happier as I don’t like the winter months. But I don’t go OTT

I think it's really embarrassing and people that put decorations up early have nothing else to look forward to so are willing Christmas to arrive asap

It's just a glorified Sunday dinner but has a four month build up

As soon as it's over Easter eggs are pushed in your face three months in advance

I like these types of people, driving past a random house already fully decorated does make me smile. I couldn't do it myself but if it wasn't for them I'd find it extremely hard to start shopping and organising early. It's almost like a little reminder that it's really not that far away and always prompts me to get started.

You sound miserable as hell. Maybe put some lights up, they might improve your mood 👍

TBH this post is far much more attention-seeking. What someone else does with their house and garden when they want to is their business. It say far more about you that you have nothing better to do than go seeking out her FB and Instagram and form an opinion of lighthearted post that makes a joke about taking them down. TBH maybe you need more of a life so you didnt have to be so invested in what others do with theirs.

Not sure if it’s attention seeking but I hate it too. I blame the shops and media. The 12 days of Xmas is through to the 6th of jan yet people are putting up decks in Oct and taking them down on Boxing Day. It just ruins it for me, years ago no one started decorating or getting in Xmas mood until early Dec. It’s like putting up Easter decor in feb or 2 months before someone’s birthday, doesn’t make sense. Ours goes up about 10 days before Xmas and down on the epiphany.

Perhaps she didn't have Christmas as a child, couldn't afford a turkey, no tree and santa never came, maybe she's making up for it. Perhaps she was raised in a religious family who didn't celebrate... whatever the reason, it clearly makes her happy.

This - 100% I read last year of someone who took their decorations down straight after lunch on Christmas DAY!

I also have no problem in principle with people putting decorations up early as it does brighten up the darkest time of year, but the dark and gloom doesn't suddenly stop in the first week of January. What used to be a festival that ran from 24 December until 6 January has shifted backwards and is now perceived as running from early-mid November until 26 December. Instant gratification, quickly bored. It's such a shame that the centuries-old tradition of the 12 Days of Christmas, with the season traditionally continuing for the first few days in January, has been lost by a slavish adherence to what's happening in the shops.