AIBU to put out my autumn decorations now?

[Kitchenbattle]

I think I’ll put out my autumn decorations! Has anyone put there’s out yet (for those of you that do!) I’m late I know but I just didn’t feel autumny until this weekend 🤣

Exactly…and that’s why there are/were festivals at the change of the seasons @Greenlawnbrownlawn. May Day is still celebrated and Halloween is huge now. Lúnasa was traditionally celebrated on August 1st.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lughnasadh

I knew as soon as I saw the thread title that it would be full of the usual suspects pursing their lips into disapproving buttholes because someone dares celebrate the changing of the seasons, which, I believe, even the Druids did. I know there are a lot of miserable people on here, but I'll never stop being surprised by how many are proud on that, sniffing and spitting with rage because someone somewhere might have a spot of joy in their lives. And it only shows the truth about them that the only seasonal decorations they can conceive of would be made of plastic. Such sorry limited imaginations.

It still feels too summery here in London for us @Kitchenbattle, but I think this weekend we'll get ours out. Funnily enough, most of ours are branches and pine cones amassed when we lived in Sweden (the Scandinavians are very good at cosying up for the colder months). I also have a string of pumpkin lights for the mantel that we've had since our kids were toddlers, and, of course, some candles. We'll put out some gourds and pumpkins when (if) it cools off.

And to the eco warriors out there, good for you. Maybe if you could put half the vitriol into fighting Reform and the data centre billionaires that you put into being disgusting on here, we'd get somewhere as a country?

And yet... humans have celebrated the changing of the seasons for centuries. Didn't you know? Never heard of a Harvest Festival for example? May Day? It's perfectly normal for humans to feel the urge the mark the change of season in their immediate environment now that we are no longer living as close to nature as we used to.
Christmas itself is really just a winter festival rebranded if you think about it. That some people have retained that primeval urge more than others is not surprising. People are all different. The nights are drawing in, seasonal foods change, it's getting colder. We feel the change even in our isolated centrally heated boxes. The summer is over, time to bring some autumn cheer out to offset that. That the capitalist infrastructure that surrounds us has found a way to make money out of that urge is also unsurprising. Twas ever thus. I bet you all put up Christmas decorations every year.
And yes, I change my decor with the seasons. Not much. Just enough to acknowledge it. Candles, firelight, furry throws and autumnal flora.
I've done this for decades. It's not a new thing. Far from it.
If you don't like it frankly pumpkins to the lot of you. 🎃

I think it's definitely a thing, I've noticed autumnal things getting an uptick in likes on Vinted.

We have swapped out the pastel spring fake flowers for the orange hued fake flowers, but that's the extent of my autumnal decorating.

This. Exactly. Thank you. It's not a new thing to acknowledge the changing of the seasons.

Oh the irony

I should think it's fairly common to change your bedding as it gets colder. More blankets/throws, a heavier quilt? Maybe even dig out the electric blanket or fleece for under the sheet? No?

That may be true, but it is a certainly a new thing to be acknowledging it by changing the pink and lilac fake flowers on a wreath or garland to orange fake flowers, for example.

Changing the tog of your duvet is not the same as having specifically autumn themed bedding, whatever that is. Presumably it's got pictures of leaves or conkers on.

It's been 20 here in South Wales, very humid, everyone is still wearing summer clothes and next week is going to be sunny and 21/22, so not really autumnal at all.

Most people use sheets and duvet covers, have more than 1 set per bed and they come in many different designs and colours. Whats the issue with owning some that are autumn themed rather than floral, animals, striped, plain, Spider-Man themed etc?

It's each to their own as far as I'm concerned. If it's your thing, do it. If not, don't bother!

We still buy a real pumpkin or three during October despite not having any young DC these days and we have a few small vintage porcelain autumnal decorations my parents bought in France many years ago which come out every October.

Additionally I've a bunch of faux branches with orange flowers that sit in a vase on the kitchen fireplace year round, which get a handful of different mini decorations hung on them depending on the season (so right now I've got some pink/blue stars from Rowen & Wren, but these will be swapped for my old John Lewis Halloween baubles a few days before Oct 31st).

DH and I (mid 50s) also always have a traditional Halloween supper that hasn't changed in format since I was a child. I'd probably not bother, but DH loves a family tradition.

What we don't do is autumnal (or winter/Christmas) bedding - is that duvet covers with pumpkin designs?, buy new autumnal decorations every year or have eg, cushions/decor that change with the seasons. The only concession to the colder months, soft furnishing-wise is to add a faux fur throw on the bed and get the sofa throws out. Same weight duvet and same duvet covers whatever the season. In the recent heatwaves we just removed the duvet altogether and used a cotton throw instead.

I just think it's really naff and a waste to have bedding you can only use for a couple of months a year.

Oh dear. God forbid anyone should have more than one duvet cover – in different designs too! Shocking! I personally couldn't be arsed with this but I don't judge those who do.

How is it a waste? Bedding is needed for Autumn months so why not autumn themed. And it can be used for many years for the Autumn months meaning it can get as much use as any other bedding. You’re taking against it for the sake of it and look a bit silly. It’s just bedding, with a different design…..and you can use it in Spring, Summer and Winter too….no one will tell us off if we do! 😉

Good point. I assume you apply the same metric to garden furniture and winter coats? I mean, there are summers in England where there's barely been more than 3 days where you could sit outside and, by the same token, winters where we've hardly needed more than a rain jacket.

It's good that you've spent so much time on this thread, just to make sure we all really understand how much superiority there is in trying to suck the joy out of other people's small pleasures.

.I've got Christmas bedding! Stays on all through December into mid January! I do wash it a few times in between of course! 😬

Here are mine. 😁

I also don't understand the mentality that makes people insist that because something is made of plastic and comes from Primark or B&M it will be used once and then in landfill. Maybe a few people do that and they are wrong to, but I reckon the majority will be packed away like Christmas trimmings and well reused. See also, Halloween stuff.

A great many people have (warmer) winter bed linen. Does it actually hurt anyone if such has leaves/acorns/pumpkins on it?

I don't know if those sneering think doing so demonstrates their superior taste/intellect/class status, but it really doesn't.

Those are lovely Major. I was wondering if we'd see some crafters on the thread. I usually decorate with some Autumn leaves, conkers and acorns in my hurricane lamp. You can preserve leaves by soaking them in glycerine and water and they look very pretty with twinkle lights. I have a antique glass tray with some wooden toadstools and some other trinkets which belonged to my Grand Mother that come out yearly too.

Some mad US bollox that seems to be creeping in here.

I was going to call that PP a miserable cunt but then thought better of it. Mind, this will probably be deleted anyway. Oh well. 🤷‍♀️ 😁

My autumn decorations mean raincoat and umbrella on the coat pegs and proper shoes in the porch, which changes to coat, scarf and boots in the winter.
I would love the time to change the decor of the house and to be organised enough to dig out the different bedding.

@UnctuousUnicorns I love those...they are definitely not my idea of tat!

Regarding the autumnal/winter bedding @Uricon2, I just prefer a plain duvet cover which I usually pair with funky pillowcases and a mismatched patterned cotton throw. My style is very bohemian/eclectic and I've never been a fan of any multicoloured, busily patterned duvet sets as I find them a bit garish, for want of a better term.

I do think some people keep their autumn (or Easter!) decorations to bring out year after year. But some don't. A family member purchased a Gisela Graham Easter tree for their house (they have two young DC). His - female - partner decided they had no space to store it after the first year of use and binned it.

I meant Uricorn.

I've got Halloween things (and let's face it, very few of such will ever end up in the V&A) that I've used for more than 15 years. I don't think they will have the longevity of my gt grandmothers beautiful Christmas tree baubles which were 100 years old by the 1970s and so fragile that one broke every year, however carefully handled (to much upset) but for tat the spooky stuff is doing OK and there is love, memory and nostalgia there.