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?

Interesting thread OP. I haven't taken part in the poll because I haven't decided haha! As a kid christmas for us started when we broke up from school (sometime between 18th and 22nd dec) although decorations and tree went up usually the weekend before. We always had a big family get together the Sunday before Xmas with lots of extended family where we exchanged gifts and it felt like christmas truly started then. We celebrated right through until 12th night, New Year (Hogmanay, we're scotland) was a big thing and I remember house fulls of visitors and fun right through until 3rd/4th January. Decorations came down 6th January.
When I had my own kids I got very wrapped up in it and started very early, decorations went up 1st December. We filled the lead up to Xmas with lots of christmas days out and honestly by Xmas we were all knackered and ready for it all to be over so took the decorations down 27th. The actual christmas period was a bit of a let down to be honest. I'm now trying to get something in the middle of both, we put decorations up 1st weekend in December but don't have any days out (apart from local Xmas lights swith on) until the kids are on holiday and now enjoy the christmas holidays much more

1st sunday of Advent

My aim is for a fresh tree delivery on the 17th this year and a final big house clean and sort on the 16th. That way the tree is still very fresh on Christmas day. I try to leave it all up and keep Christmas going as long as possible, Candlemas on Feb 2nd, which is more in keeping with how we used to decorate for the darker months.

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/christmas/leaving-up-christmas-decorations/

Oh and when the decs come down i buy a bunch of fresh flowers and keep.them going as long as i can. Stops.the house feeling dead and boring!

We celebrate St Nicholas' day on 6 December (my husband has a central European background) and I try to hold off on any Christmassy stuff until at least then. And all we do on that day is have a chocolate Sinterklaas and maybe Oma gets my son a book. I have an American background and we also do Thanksgiving which helps a bit.

We don't put the tree up until mid-December and don't take it down again until 6 January. All of the performative misery posts from people taking their Christmas tree down on Boxing Day does my head in. If you do that, you deserve to be miserable.

My mother used to refuse to let us crack into the Christmas cupboard until Christmas Eve in the evening. (And would then end up having to give stuff away to foodbanks in February).

I now mark the start of the Christmas holidays (school holidays now we have a school age child) with a tray of chocolates/Christmas sweets on the table for people to help themselves from, and will replenish as necessary.

1st December, or the first day of Advent, whichever is earlier. That’s when I make my first mince pies, anyway. We scoff too many to start earlier, and I don’t like shop ones - too much pastry.

That is also when I play the first carols (CDs of proper choirs) and open the first bottle of mulled wine.

Our (real) tree won’t go up until around mid Dec at the earliest, though it did once go up on the 10th, since guests were coming to stay.

Having said that, I don’t object to people putting up their Christmas trees earlier - I like to see them in their windows, brightening up the cold dark days.

Our decorations never come down until 6th January.

It's my daughters birthday on the 23rd, so traditionally I take down all the Decs for her bday and then put them all back up on the 24th. There's no way I'm taking them down on the 26th.

Christmas starts 1st December for me. I embrace the whole month and lap up the festivities. Winter is a chore, so anything that makes it that bit brighter is welcome here.

I enjoy looking at Christmas lights and displays in shops and just getting festive with Christmas films and hot chocolate.

Next weekend

Dec 1st here, ending on the 31st. Looking forward to it!

In November?

When school breaks up for me.

The first weekend in December.

It's my daughter's birthday on the 23rd as well. If it was up to me decorations would only go up on the 24th anyway until the 6th Jan but rest of the family like them to go up first weekend in December so I let them crack on.

But are you saying you put them all up then take them all down for the 23rd then put them all up again on the 24th?

That's a crazy amount of effort. I couldn't be arsed with that. DD gets an extra mini tree and her birthday presents go under it. I'm not pretending it isn't 2 days before Christmas.

1st Sunday of Advent is the first day of Advent. 30th November this year.

We decorate the weekend closest to 1 Dec. The decs come down before everyone goes back to school/work to help adjust to being back in routine and to help signify the holiday being complete. Schools went back on 2nd January for us this year so we had to take down on 30th December as were busy on 31st and 1st.

I must admit we do decorate at the very end of November, usually during the last day or so, we like them up for the 1st! But we keep them up over new year, usually taking them down on the 3rd or 4th of Jan.

Saying that, I don’t see Christmas properly starting until the schools break up and we finish work!

Umm there's no option for mid November!? Has ha

Xmas tree up first week in December and down January 6th. I do lots of festive things throwout December though including watching cheesy Xmas movies, making cup cakes and festive icing, with my sister's making a wreath for my Mum's grave and Xmas lunch out afterwards, writing and sending Xmas cards, putting up holly and ivy display, DH putting up outside Xmas lights, wrapping gifts, Xmas paint a pot with all adult DC and dgc and Xmas lunch out with friends, going to either ballet or theatre with DH and lots of Xmas shopping and sorting out adult DC and dgc Xmas stockings.

My youngest daughters birthday is 2nd Dec so not even allowed to start advent calendars until 3rd lol Usually out the tree up weekend after her birthday. My older daughters birthday is 27th Dec so christmas over for us by then although tree usually up as don’t have tome to pack it away until closer to new year but by then just want my living room back.

Got a reduced christmas eve box in jan sale one year so put christmas books in it so can read those through Dec. Do love matching christmas pjamas tho but our ones from last year still fit so will use those again (and do use through year to get wear too). We also have christmas bedding for each bed so they will come out too.

We decorate the first weekend of December but I'll visit a Christmas market or department of John Lewis earlier.

Everything but the tree down for NYE and that stays until I do the new year housework push when I nag everyone to get the house straight ready to go back to school/work.

I have pretty lights all year round though, winter is gloomy otherwise.

You do know this is the Christmas board? 🤣

I'm conflicted. On the one hand, I'd put the (real) tree up on the last weekend before Christmas. On the other, I run a gift shop and gallery, so "Christmas" has already started.

I hadn't realised until having a shop that the "starting early" is also a help to people who like spreading the cost over a few paydays.

We have a mulled wine and mince pies gallery view on 8th November - but don't start playing Christmas music until December 1st.

We sell as much in a week in December as we sell in a month the rest of the year.

First weekend in December here too- that's when we usually get a tree- although I reckon mince pies are fair game from 1 December. We also tend to start eating Christmas cake early because we also have birthdays around Christmas so end up a bit over-caked unless we spread it out.

I think my ideal would be to mark Advent properly and then have Christmas over the twelve days but I think my family would riot if I suggested no decorations until 24th. I do try to do thinks that are specific for Advent though- I have a few books with different poems or religious texts that you're supposed to read one of per day (I always get behind though), I try to find an Advent-specific service to go to and this year I also have an Advent embroidery kit with a bit to do every day (pretty certain I'll get behind on this too 😂)