When does your Christmas start?

[GRCP]

I’m distracting myself from a sad weekend by thinking of exciting things like Christmas!
When does Christmas start for you?
I feel like our local light switch on on 16th November is the start of Christmas with Christmas music in the car from then and probably a Christmas themed book on the go. I’ll probably have a mulled wine that weekend. Christmas films possibly from then.
Then the last weekend of November is when the tree and decorations go up - we also get out the Christmas bedding, jumpers and PJs.
Actual Christmas will start on the 20th when we’ve all finished work and school.
What about you all?

All those things you’re describing are preparation for Christmas, which is great fun but not Christmas. I suppose no one knows what Advent is.

1st December. I love Christmas but find Christmas Day a bit anticlimactic so I try to focus on making December a nice month with lots of family time/traditions etc.

I start doing Christmassy things probably the last week in November. The official start of the Christmas season for my family is when we go to Christmas at Kew, which we always do last Sunday in November or first Sunday in December, depending how the dates fall. Then actual Christmas itself starts around 6pm on Christmas Eve when dh gets home from work.

I work in a school so nativity songs will start this week.
First Xmas meal is Friday 28th November so from that weekend I imagine! I would prefer things to start from 1st December and refuse to look at Christmas stuff in the shop yet! I want my birthday over first

24th December.

We won’t decorate the house or put the tree up until schools break up, teen Dc like to do all the decorating once they have broken up.

But there will still be plenty outside the house to enjoy during advent.
Dc is taking part in a couple of concerts, so has been practicing Christmas music since the beginning of September. And there will be work meals out, buying presents, maybe visiting a Christmas market during December. I’ll make the Christmas cake - should have done it already really!

Our Christmas celebration rather than preparation will properly start on 21st this year, as we are visiting extended family for a celebratory meal and present-giving, because we won’t see each other on the day itself.

In other times I buy presents well in advance as I like to get things fhat are personal rather than all the tat that will be flooding the shops. This year I have had three bereavements and all I want to do is hide until it is over. I don't even know what I am going to do on the day, sit and cry probably and I am sure there are many others who are dreading 8 weeks of non stop jollity too. I will put my little tree up because it is so pretty and i will have a paper Advent calendar. I hope that everyone who loves Christmas has a wonderful time and will maybe spare a thought for people who are just not feeling it this year

We have a big Christmas party every year, so it’s that date. It’s on the 20th this year.

I tend to view the entire month of December for doing Christmassy things. It cheers me up at a dark and cold time of the year. So from 1st December we'll be decorating the house, watching Christmas films etc.

I do a lot of preparation for Christmas beforehand though because it makes me feel happy. Nearly all of the presents are bought, turkey order placed, menus planned and I've started buying a couple of non-perishable items with the food shop each week. I've made this year's Christmas cake and pudding.

That's because I like to spread the cost financially and also to just have December for relaxing and enjoying the season. I definitely do not want to be running round the shops or trying to think of what to buy people the week before Christmas.... it's a busy time already with various work and family meals, school Christmas fête, Nativity services etc.

Christmas proper starts when DDs finish school for the holidays.

Ist December, or the first day of Advent - that’s when I make the first mince pies, with the first carols playing and have my first mulled wine.

Small potted tree (last year’s) will also go outside the front door, with lights, and I’ll buy a plain fresh wreath to add a few bits to, for the front door.

For us it's the second Saturday in December. That's the way dh like it! He likes going out with our now adult sons and getting trees for our individual houses and they decorate the tree. Me and dh put the decorations up together. He does the big food shop in the week leading up to Christmas. I buy the presents and wrap and sort out the events at our house between Christmas and New Year.
I am planning some menus this afternoon.

1st December - advent

Present shopping in October because DS and I have November birthdays, so birthday and Christmas presents are bought at the same time.

Decorations up first weekend in December.

Yeah like a pp I separate Christmas admin ( which starts on the day Waitrose and Cook release their slots) and actually “ celebrating the season”. So prep starts about mid October but I don’t really get into it until at least 1 December. Will probably get the tree on the 7th.

Usual plan; Tree the last Sunday in November, Listening to Christmas Church music, sometimes just as background music when I am writing.
Radio 3 usually have a Competition for people to write new Carols, listen to those.

Watch every version of Christmas Carol I can find.
Might not work this year we are having painting and decoration work.

Is there a Christmas emoji, pine tree with snow or holly branches with berries?

Agree with this. I love the build up to Christmas but with two late teen boys and a DH who works on Christmas & Boxing Day, we prefer the weeks before and the days in between Christmas and New Year.

Our tree will go up on 29th November this year with Christmas nights out starting that weekend too. I'm hoping I'll have all presents bought by then too as I want to enjoy December instead of rushing round trying to find those 'extras' togowith the things I've already bought.

I love Christmas and why shouldn't we start looking forward to it from November, although I refuse to put Christmas music on until 1st December!

It’s all about the build up for me!

Usually put decorations up mid November and go to the Christmas markets for the first time towards the end of November. I like to have all my presents bought and wrapped by the end of November, cards written etc.
That way, once December rolls around I’ve done all my festive admin like decorating and gift buying/wrapping and I can fully enjoy the social side without having a huge to do list.
I host friends for a festive buffet the first weekend in December, me and the girls do festive craft nights and cosy film nights, my boyfriend and I do the markets and a Christmas themed escape room, then there’s the works Christmas do, festive nights out with friends, secret Santa swapping evenings… I love it all!!!! It has to start so early for me to fit in all the fun!

It works out far better doing alternate days when I'm working through it, as when I finish on the 27th can come home grab a couple hours sleep and then celebrate our xmas eve with our usual traditions and activities and be fresh for xmas day on the 28th.

One year I literally came in from work on the 25th and had 2 hours sleep before going back to work a nightshift so vowed I wasnt doing that again so those 3 days are treated as normal working days. The excitement is still there and its fab having the inbetween days to celebrate as on non working years the inbetween days is a twilight zone of not knowing what day of the week it is 😂

Depends how much of a planner you are.
I start my christmas planner in October and allocate jobs to do for each month.
October is mostly planning ie presents, christmas table decorations, changes to christmas house decor, lists of things to buy etc Also defrost freezer and clean oven.
November I will make christmas gravy and recipes and freeze them, write the cards, order my turkey, buy xmas store cupboard staples, menu plan, start wrapping, basically all the legwork. Decorate house end November.
December I now like to go away the first week, then enjoy a relaxing December. However I'm retired and so it's all very easy now, was manic when the kids were little and certain jobs I hated doing were always put off. 🤣

It used to be December only, but although I will still put the tree and decorations up in the first week of December, other things will come up in November and I will just acquiesce gracefully and enjoy it. Things like the village lights turn on - now a fairly big event with fairground rides, stalls, hot food vans, Santa appearance. Also going to garden centres to look through their Christmas displays and buy baubles and lights and have a tea and mince pie, there are enough fabulous garden centres around our way to do this almost weekly. We'll book a slot to do pottery painting and the results will have been glazed and fired and returned to us early enough to go with the regular decorations.

In December I'll decorate the front garden with fairy lights, start playing Christmas music, decorating, doing the tree and wrapping the presents I'll have, I wouldn't do those things in November. Happy to have others doing it earlier, winter is so dreary and needs the cheer!

1st November

Present buying starts for me in September! I have to spread the cost over a few pay days. I’ll be done shopping by end of November.

like lots of you I love the build up, possibly more than the day itself!

Not until after the December birthdays in our family are done, so 14th December is the earliest for us.
I do Christmas shopping throughout the year, but anything Christmas themed happens after the 14th.
I am currently working up to Christmas Eve, but I may take the 23rd off too.

For me, Christmas is really Christmas Eve until 6th January. We do all our Christmassy things during the 12 days of Christmas to make the holidays feel special. I wrap everything on Christmas Eve night with soldering Christmassy on the TV.

Dec 1st The wee tree goes up and the dog 's advent calendar gets started 😁 have got some pressies wrapped for him already. Love watching him tear the paper off😍

For two of my neighbours, it started on Saturday when they filled their gardens with inflatable Santas, polar bears, candy canes and put the lights around their eaves and porch.

I bloody hate it. I don't want to sound miserable and joyless and snobbish, and it's not that - it's AUTUMN. It's not even Bonfire Night. The leaves are lying on the ground, Remembrance Day is next week. It's a complete distortion of the traditional pattern of the seasons and festivals. Christmas - or Yule - is the beginning of winter. I was always under the impression that this was why the '12 days' started so late - to coincide with the solstice, maybe I'm wrong.

It's a competitive thing where I live, out-Christmasing the neighbours, but doesn't make it any easier to witness, I just find it depressing.