When is it acceptable to decorate???

[yorkshireyummymummy]

As a child in the 70's I was told that it was ' incredibly common' to hang your Christmas decorations early.
Our tree went up the weekend before Christmas. Decorations were limited to a tree, a card tree, a wreath on the door and some pieces of wood with real holly stuck into them in an arty way and some mistletoe if there was any for sale that year. School friends had all sorts of foil decorations hanging from the ceiling and lots of glittery things. These were also classed as ' horribly common'
Fast forward 40 years and I decorate how I want to. Everything is incredibly tasteful ( of course) and it takes me three days to do it properly .
But when is it socially acceptable to hang your decs/ put the tree up?
Mother has mellowed somewhat after I had DD and puts her tree up on about the 12th Dec that's if she is not on one of her billion holidays
But she does still consider earlier than that common.
I have ignored her ever since I got my own home in 1988 and done it my way. Since I had DD tree goes up on 1st December because she is as excited every year as I am.
People do seem to put their trees up earlier than they did when I was a kid.
The first weekend of December this year is the 2nd - but we might be going to visit family.
So when should I decorate? Daughter wants to be part of it so it should be on a weekend- is it just horribly horrendous to decorate in November? Am I getting obsessed? Does this mean by the time I'm 65 that as soon as I take the fake cobwebs down from Halloween I will be putting the Christmas tree up?
What do you all do? ( I am Christmas obsessed BTW. I now think,of Christmas a more of a season than a single day event!)

Anything Christmassy before December gives me the rage. Tree goes up 2 weeks before Christmas ish here. I love Christmas, but seeing Christmassy things from October onwards seriously diminishes the enjoyment.

Nothing before December.

Eolian- don't come to my house then!

I have just spent £3000 on christmas craft stuff.

£3000 on Christmas craft stuff? Congratulations on your lottery win .
Definitely no Christmas decs before December that is the modern day equivalent of 'common'! Anytime from 1st onwards- fill your boots!

1st Sunday of advent here

We used to do stuff a week or so before Christmas but over the last few years our mothers have started coming to visit the first weekend of December (we're expats so this saves us having to split ourselves 4 ways at Christmas). I like to have everything done before they come, since we will have a Christmas dinner and open gifts that weekend. We will then be away at DH dads overseas for actual Christmas so it also saves us having to take so many wrapped presents with us. I will probably take everything down before we leave on December 22 so that it is tidy when we get back on 26th. We're a bit weird!

speakout Hope there's no nativity scenes or angels in there sorry not sorry

Nope, don't worry, it's all Yule/Pagan stuff.

We put the tree up while watching Sports Personality of the Year - so December 17th this year. Cards go up as we receive them and I'll probably decorate the banister and mantlepiece on the Friday before the tree goes up. The crib goes up on Christmas Eve. Everything stays up until 12th night.

I’m common and proud 🎄

Ours go up as soon as bonfire night is over with. Though not the tree, we are to tight to pay £££ for a real one so wait until a couple of days before Xmas when they start reducing them to £10

The weekend after 20 November to tie in with a birthday! The excuse was we visited family for a fortnight over Christmas and wanted to enjoy our own decorations for a reasonable time. Now we go for less time but still have them up early. But we take them down after new years day.

Any day after the 7th December, which is someone's birthday. It all comes down 6th January. It is a month, i love Christmas and decorations but a month is long enough.

I have just spent £3000 on christmas craft stuff.

What and why?

PrimalLass all sorts, wooden chests, organza bags, ribbon, crystals, candles, fabric
Why- because once I have spun my magic that £3000 will turn into £20K revenue in the run up to christmas.

tree (symbol of the Tree of Life)

It was only in 2004 that the pope declared that a xmas tree symbolised the tree of light so hardly an ancient tradition! (previously they decided that it represented new life and the trinity and christ...)

Evergreen trees, branches have been used in pagan traditions in countries all over the world for centuries. They are a symbol of new life, new beginings, new growth, to keep away illness, evil etc etc. As has holly, ivy and mistletoe and wreaths way before chirstianity.

Xmas trees were rejected by christians until very recently as 'pagan symbols'. Hell it was against the law to celebrate Xmas by any other means than a church service for a long time. Lets face it if it wasnt for Queen Vic we wouldnt have a xmas tree at all in UK or USA.

I really dont care what religion someone is but when they are being smarmy about pagan traditions and claiming them as bonefide 'christian traditions' it gets my goat. There are a huge variety of christian sects and not all of them use christmas trees or have santa 'visit' their houses, sing carols or decorate the house.

Can we all just celebrate the way we want to and stop berating others for their way of celebrating Xmas, Yule or whatever else you want to call it. Whether we are christians, pagans, wiccans, druids, norse, martians, agnostics or atheists.

Personally I cant wait for Samhain, getting goodies in for the guisers already

speakout
what do you make?

Ah that's pretty good going. Well done you.

First weekend in December. Can't wait!

*I’m common and proud

Ours go up as soon as bonfire night is over with.*

Hear hear christmasunicorn. I did that a couple of years ago and think I will again this year. (Decorate on the 7th November.) Don't see anything wrong with it myself. It cheers up the place. [fgrim]

Agh, second time I've messed up a smilie tonight (Typed 'groin' earlier! . Of course ment .

willow- great post about t he christmas tree, some of my family ( christian) regard it as a heathen symbol.

Thank you for that balanced post. I apologise for becoming tetchy upthread, but yes I dislike it when some try to " claim" christmas as their own festival.
The truth is it is now a big mish mash of influences, symbols and flavours and I think is richer for it.
The religious amongst us can celebrate their aspect of it, or those who love to shop, spend and give, kids get excited because it's all to do with Santa and reindeers.
I enjoy the spiitual aspect of christmas as a midwinter festival, the idea of hope and light in the darkness, I am not religious, but that's a motif we can all share.
The celebration of life, as long as we have air in our lungs and food to eat, and even through dark times that spark of life is something to celebrate.
Surely that can be something that brings us together and is a cause for celebration no matter our faith or lack of.

ust to add - christmas was banned in scotland for many years by the church
The Church of Scotland – a Presbyterian church - had discouraged ‘Yule’ celebrations since around 1583. The church believed that there was no basis for celebrating the day as it didn’t reflect what was in the bible. There are even records of some people being arrested over unlawful celebrations during the years it was officially banned.

Christmas didn't become a public holiday in Scotland until the 1950s.

Never before December! That's wrong!

Then we've got a DC with a December birthday so for us it's after that as I don't want to take the focus off her birthday.

I wonder if the tree = heathen thing is a particular quirk of the Church of Scotland then?

My parents are rather religious as are my in laws, but they certainly don’t hold that view (one set Baptists, one set Catholics).

And I’ve been into many churches of all denominations at Christmas time and they all have trees in them. Certainly I’d never even heard of them being heathen and ‘banned’ by anybody religious I’ve ever met. Interesting (genuine, not sarcastic!).

December 22nd. That's the proper, official day.