When do you start decorating and Elf on Shelf

[cheekycherryza]

Hi all,

When does everyone start decorating for Christmas?

My husband thinks I'm a complete nutcase because it takes me a week to decorate our downstairs (I take my time and do it right, you know?) but I also have A LOT of decorations.

I usually start last week of November so that everything's all ready and festive for 1 December.

We are doing the Elf on the shelf for the first time this year and I'm thinking of getting the Elf to decorate DD's bedroom while she is sleeping for a festive suprise on 30 November and then she'll come down to a north pole breakfast

When do you all start decorating?

Our Elf arrives on December 1st and brings the DC's advent calendars. We decorate the first weekend of December. DP takes the DCs out for the day and I usually run around like madness to finish before they get back. This year though is the first time they are both in full-time school so will probably pick a school day so I have a guaranteed six hours. Won't be long enough!

P.S. Tell me more about north pole breakfasts...

Well, it's basically a fabulously christmassy decorated table with a breakfast of things like donuts, hot chocolate with candy canes to stir made in christmas mug of course and the Elf is there, sitting high above the table on a pillar of cake platters or in table top tree. There's usually a letter from the Elf and a little present like advent calendar.

Check out: www.littlepumpkingrace.com/2011/11/introducingcookie-rooftop-north-pole.html

and my blog post on what I intend to do for the northpole breakfast:

sewvintageemporium.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/christmas-in-july-planning-our-traditions-and-the-elf-and-the-shelf/

first weekend in December

Saturdays pm, everyone helping and a Christmas film on

I like dh to get the boxes out of the attic mid Nov so I can check what we need first

Hmmm, I like the look of the snowman pancakes!

As much as I love Christmas, and I really mean LOVE Christmas, decorations don't seem as special if they have been up all December. So although the advent calendars are out and the christmas CDs are on and the crimbo activities begin from 1st December the tree and the decs don't come out until mid December.

Depending on what we have happening I try to put decs up at the start of dec... I love Christmas but being a housework freak I can never wait to take them down so I can give everywhere a good clean x

I will start getting all the stuff down at the end of November and slowly make my way through the house during the first week. I do a lot of decorating! I have 3 big trees and 2 fireplace garlands and the stairs. I wait until about a week before doing my fresh foliage decorating as any earlier and the greenery starts to die.

EotS and Advent Tree on the 1st but nothing else until 10-14 days before the Big Day.

My DS has his birthday on the 7th so it seems unfair to do the decorations before.

We have a pretendy tree now (though I prefer a real one they were getting so ££ and it seems a huge amount for a couple of weeks)

I spend a couple of days.
Bannister (and landing)
Tree
Mantlepiece
Porch
A few candles in the kitchen
The bit between the dining room and family sitting room.

Downstairs loo

Wreath on the front door (prelit re-usable one I got a couple of years back) and an ivy & ribbon wreath on the glass door.

And it all comes down on New Years Day.