When does Christmas 'proper' start, in your opinion?

[ruethewhirl]

Just curious about this as I've noticed it's becoming more and more of a thing for people to say Christmas is over right after Boxing Day and to take their decs down round about that time too.

The reason I'm curious is just that it differs so much from how I remember Christmases as a child in the 1970s. I'm in my 50s and although there was always a build-up to Christmas it never used to start anywhere near as early. The adverts might have been pushing Christmas from about October or November, but in terms of decorations going up, Christmas music being played, etc - not so much until we got into December. I also feel like there was more of a distinction between Advent and Christmas itself back then (despite the plethora of advent calendars around today! 😄)

These days far more people seem to start saying 'it's Christmas' as soon as it gets to December, and consider it to be over and done with by Boxing Day. When I was a child it was advent until Christmas Eve, and then the Christmas period pretty much lasted until Jan 6th, encompassing New Year's as part and parcel of the season, with many/most people leaving their decs up till then. And to this day, the period from Christmas Eve onwards is my favourite bit, because all the stressy preps are over and it's time to just relax and enjoy the festive season. For this reason I'd never take my decs down before Twelfth Night, as old-fashioned as that probably makes me. 😅

None of this is being said in criticism of current traditions, btw - I know times change, and people should celebrate Christmas exactly however they want to, or not at all if that's their preference. I just find it an interesting phenomenon how the dates seem to have shifted so to speak, also curious to know if others around my age remember 'bygone' Christmases the same way I do. (Oh crikey, I said 'bygone', next step's a rocking chair I guess. 😅)

Thoughts?

I put my decs up at the very end of November, I like them up ready for the 1st of December! I love the build up, and I keep them up until the 12th night! I’d have them up all winter if I could!

I am a similar age and I also remember celebrating every advent Sunday and then Christmas beginning Christmas eve and lasting until the New Year.

Now I'm one of those despised adults who take the tree down on Boxing Day. I'm autistic and I'm always desperate to get the house and my routine back to normal.

24th December to 6th January. I like to get Christmas Day out of the way then enjoy the rest of the break.

I start planning Christmas from about September. Actual Christmas starts on the 1st December for me and ends around the 1st week of Jan.

Christmas Eve to 2nd Jan but decs come down 12th night to ease you in from the joy of Christmas to depressing January. Why someone would take decs down on Boxing Day I have no idea. The days between Christmas and new year is the best bit of Christmas.

In our home, it starts the last weekend of November when we put the Christmas decorations up. Everything comes down on the 2nd January and Christmas is over for us. We start gearing up for the first birthday of the year on the 16th Jan!

This.

We have a 'mini Christmas dinner' on the first Saturday after bonfire night which kicks everything off. Decorations go up the last Sunday in November and stay up until 6 January. We have a final celebration meal and drinks on twelfth night. DH and I have also started a new tradition of having a few days away immediately after twelfth night which keeps the festive feeling going into mid-January.

Basically we squeeze as much from Christmas as possible. It's a season, not just a couple of days!

I'm mid sixties and have always loved Christmas. Last weekend I had a text to say 'Yay its Christmas' because Strictly Come Dancing had started, that will do for me!!!!!

I completely agree with you, for much the same reason.

It was a shock, the year the new term started on Jan 2nd!

The only time I've every had Christmas decorations put up before December, was November 2020. Covid, having had a premature baby in the first lockdown, and not being able to see my family, DH suggested that I put up the tree in mid November, to cheer me us all up.

It did work.

Every year, I take a photo of my cuppa/glass of wine/mince pie, by tree light.

Decorations will be up from Dec 1st to 12th Night this year.

I've a set of the Spode Christmas Tree crockery, which comes out for the whole of December. It was a much loved gift from my DM, and worth the storing of it, for a 12th of the year.

My now infamous annual Christmas Present Budgeting Spreadsheet comes out with the first present purchase (I start looking for offers on things for presents in September). Christmas music/films and general festiveness etc acceptable from 1st December, we usually decorate at some point in the first week of December depending on DH's work rota. At least some of the decorations will stay up until 6th Jan although the tree is sometimes down before then. I generally feel at my most Christmassy between Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.

Count down starts 1st December when advent calendars are out, Xmas tree and Dec's out around 5-7th December.

We take decs down on 1st Jan.

Christmas organisation (i.e. buying presents) starts Mid-november, but only because you have to if you want things to be delivered on time!). Pre-Christmas anticipation and buying food and tree happens from about 15th December. Christmas proper begins on the 24th or maybe 23rd. I don't want a long build-up. We don't start eating Christmas food etc weeks before Christmas, or it doesn't feel special by the time Christmas actually comes.

Oh and decorations usually come down on the 2nd Jan.

We get our tree on the first Saturday after the end of term - even though none are at school now . So around the 20th . I make a wreath we hand deliver cards to neighbours.. 20th onwards.. Decs stay up until 12th night. 6th Jan .

V traditional in this home .

Saw Christmas decs in our local department store.. made me turn around and run ! It's fucking SEPTEMBER !!

M&S have already got Christmas chocolate/treat food in store. Someone bought me a box of Christmas chocolate last week !

1st Dec for us. Finishes 26/12 as back to work after that.

We do an Advent Calendar for the run up, then tree and decorations on Christmas Eve. They stay up until Epiphany and then it's all put away for another year. Extremely lapsed Catholic, but old habits die hard and are mixed with childhood nostalgia.

I’ve whittled the present buying right down. Father Christmas started his shopping in August, a little earlier than usual!

Halloween
General Timeline

1. Pre-September: Although it is uncommon, some retailers start showcasing Halloween merchandise in late summer, typically around August. This is often done to maximize sales opportunities for costumes, decorations, and candy.
2. September: By early September, Halloween decorations and products become more prominent in stores. Many households begin to plan their costumes and decorations around this time.
3. October: The month of October is traditionally associated with Halloween. Most celebrations, including trick-or-treating, costume parties, and haunted houses, take place in this month.

Rationale for Early Hype

• Retail Strategy: Retailers often promote Halloween early to extend the shopping season and increase sales. The longer promotional period allows consumers to purchase costumes, decorations, and candy.
• Cultural Engagement: Halloween-themed events, such as festivals and community activities, often start in late September or early October to build excitement and engagement within communities.

Christmas General Timeline

1. November: The Christmas season traditionally begins after Thanksgiving in the United States, around late November. Many retailers and households start decorating for Christmas shortly after this holiday. The first weekend of Advent (usually late November or early December) is often when decorations are put up in many Christian households.
2. Early December: The hype for Christmas continues to grow in early December, with most communities and families fully embracing the holiday spirit. Christmas markets, caroling, and holiday parties typically take place during this time.
3. Mid-December to Christmas Eve: This period is often the peak of Christmas celebrations, with a significant increase in festivities, shopping, and gatherings.

Rationale for Early Hype

• Consumerism: Retailers often promote Christmas earlier to capitalize on consumer spending, utilizing strategies like Black Friday sales and holiday promotions starting in early November.
• Cultural Traditions: Different cultures have unique timelines for celebrating Christmas. For example, many European countries observe Advent, starting in late November or early December, leading to various customs and events leading up to Christmas.

I am Christmas mad, however I have noticed that in my excitement to put the decs up as early as possible (1st Dec) that the tree has become much less special, and almost part of the furniture by mid December.

So, my plan this year is:

1st Dec: We get our Christmas sacks. Which essentially contains all the same stuff we've had for years, but just distributed with a bit of ceremony. It will contain all Christmas pjs, jumpers (so they get worn all through the month), Christmas themed books, paper chain kits, and everyone's advent calendar.

I'll put everyone's Christmas bedding on whilst they're at school.

I'll then decorate the house, excluding the tree over that first week. Outdoor reindeer. Porch garland and wreath. Stair garland. Christmas windowsill stuff.

Mid December, somewhere around the 15th, that will be when we pick our tree and bring it home to decorate. So it's up long enough to be worth the extreme effort (we do go all out on the tree) but not so long it's over a month and getting a bit much.

We'll have the little ones nativities, panto just before Christmas Eve, and DH and I are going to do our presents to each other on Christmas Eve, or Christmas Day when the littles are asleep, as we've got 3DC and it's all a bit mad with them opening all their stuff and cooking dinner too.

I do an international card exchange, and all the cards from this go into our Christmas Eve box, and we open the box and cards together as a family Christmas Eve morning to read messages from our friends around the globe. It also has all the past 16yrs of wind up toys that DC get in their stocking for them to fight over and race, and the Robert Sabuda Night Before Christmas that we all read before we leave a carrot and glass of sherry for the jolly old chap.

Christmas I won't be hosting, after nearly 20yrs of running myself into the ground whilst my family turn up and don't lift a finger, so have discovered the joy of saying no, and looking after just us.

NYE is twins birthday, so little party and fireworks.

Decs down on the 12th night.

Ours tends to revolve around DD these days. Her birthday is early December so we don't do much Xmas stuff (barring advent calendars) until mid December to allow for her to have a non Xmas focussed birthday. We usually take the decs down the weekend before she goes back to school so the house feels "normal" what before she starts.

1st December until January 6th is when I feel festive

Unfortunately I often don't get to put my decorations up until about the weekend before Christmas as really busy with work but if I had my way I'd do it on 1st December

One year I took the day off on the 1st and that felt really special - had the whole day to titivate the house

Also in my fifties, and remember that people didn’t really talk about Christmas until late November.

I still don’t put my decorations up until about ten days before Christmas, and keep them up
until just after New Year’s Day.

Our decorations go up the second Saturday in December and are down by Hogmanay. I like a decluttered house for the New Year. I normally take them down by 30th December.