It's not Christmas until...

[TheCrow]

What's everyone's ultimate 'it's not Christmas until...' list? For me it's not Christmas until I see the Fenwick's Christmas window in Newcastle. Although I'm very sad to not see it in person this year I just watched the live video unveiling and feel very warm and festive! Also on my list-
The Coca-Cola advert being on TV and seeing Father Ted getting lost in the lingerie department 😂

First Advent Sunday when we start with decoration and lightening the candle on the Advent wreath.

Unless the 1st December is earlier, than that is what count.

I’m watching Hans Gruba fall from the Nakatomi Plaza

For me it's the schools breaking up.

They bring home all of their Christmas crafts, all excited. My middle child is in P1 and I could weep for her missing her first nativity, the carols, the panto trip with the school.

She doesn't know how it should be so I'll be quietly sad.

Making some new traditions this year.

I probably start the Christmas prep way too early for most people, but all that aside it is really Christmas for me when I’m prepping the red cabbage on Christmas Eve and ‘Once in Royal David’s City’ comes on Radio 4 from Carols at Kings’. Everything else falls away at that moment.

It’s a huge rush of nostalgia and a moment of quiet peace which I cherish. That’s when Christmas really starts for me.

The kids break up from school. Everything relaxes then, and we hunker down.

...Christmas Eve. The month leading up to that is Advent. There are then 12 days of Christmas, so it doesn't end until January 6th.

My DH disagrees entirely and will be in his "Christmas mood" from the end of November, with accompanying soft furnishings.

Last weekend in November we start getting stuff ready but the tree goes up December 1st. Comes down on the 27-28th though. Cannot fathom those who keep it up into January

I eat a mince pie with squirty cream.i dont buy them til Xmas week.

For me its Christmas eve when my tree goes up and finishes boxing day when it comes day. Bah humbug

...Comes down.

The Coca Cola advert comes on the tv

Christmas Eve - carols from Kings.

The Coca Cola advert has been on 😊

@UtterlyUnimaginativeUsername

The first time I hear Fairytale of New York on the radio. Contentious, I know, but that's the way it is.

Me too & it has to be completely genuine, I won't allow myself to search the channels etc! 🤣

🎄 & a glass bowl of quality street twinkling from the lights off it!!

I do 'Christmas breakfast' for my DC on 1st December and that is the start for us!

I know it’s coming when god awful strictly comes on. Then when I hear 2000 miles on the radio. Dh kids got so worried one year the requested it on a radio show. Then when the tree goes up on Christmas Eve. That’s proper real Christmas. But I preferred New Years as we got most of our presents as kids then.

This year it’s not happening at all. 😀

Christmas songs in the shops

Mind you, the neighbours put their deccys up today so it's crimbo as far as I'm concerned ☺️🤓

Definitely when we all break up from school.
Dh is self employed and just works up until we break up and takes 2 weeks off with us.
We usually go away on holiday over New Years with lots of extended holiday which we obviously won’t be doing this year, I’m gutted about that but it’s been one hell of a year for everyone and I’m counting down the days already!
I get a brief excitement on tree day as we call it, we have been going to the same farm for years now, it’s a lovely day. Dh saws the tree, I put the lights on, the dc all decorate it.

Until my mum announces that she’s baking and we all turn up to her house a few hours later. I really hope we get to do it this year. I love Christmas and can’t wait to put my tree up, I’ve decided a month before Christmas is acceptable.

When the tree goes up, which varies, most years I'm resistant in the face of incessant nagging to put the tree up until the week before Christmas, but have been known to cave and put it up Dec 1st. This year though it's going up Dec 1st no nagging required. I have a new posh tree I'm excited to see up for the first time and it's been such a crap year, so I'm going to open the Bailey's early too.

@FrancisCross

I’m watching Hans Gruba fall from the Nakatomi Plaza

This!

For me it was a carol service that dh and I attend each year - it’s in the week that the kids break up from school, so a lovely oasis of calm in a week of sewing nativity costumes, learning lines, Christmas jumper day. Dh’s work schedule is awful in December and it’s a rare chance to spend an evening together, listening to sublime music and having dinner together afterwards.

But not this year.

Putting the tree up in late November/early December signals the run-up, but when DD was younger it was breaking up for Christmas that meant that it really was Christmas time, the same when I was a little girl. School breaking up means that Christmas Day is sooooo close.

@grassisjeweled

Christmas songs in the shops

Mind you, the neighbours put their deccys up today so it's crimbo as far as I'm concerned ☺️🤓

One year in mid October my now ex-DH and I were in TK max with DD and they started playing Christmas music. He looked traumatised. I actually thought he had genuinely gone into shock. We left the shop.

9 lessons and carols on r4 Christmas Eve with a Sherry.