Festive traditions and when to put the decs up

[Lottiefranks]

I’d love to know when everyone puts their tree/christmas decs up. I love, LOVE Christmas and I’m thinking to put my tree up around the 21st November.

I’d also love to know what your family traditions are that differ from the ‘norm’ my children are 2 and 4, so any suggestions for simple traditions they may enjoy would be great. We have a couple already, such as a Christmas Eve walk, 1st of December box which I put their advents, Christmas jumpers and some crafts in.

What’s everyone’s festive plans? X

Our decs go up in phases, the first thing on 1st December, then different things bit by bit. Then after Christmas down bit by bit too.

Ours always goes up during the first weekend of December and we take it down just before the 31st so we can start the New Year fresh. My mum and dad always used to do the same.

I love Christmas and, although my decorations don't go up especially early, I have been planning and organising presents etc for a good while now.

Our tree goes up a few days before Christmas Day. We don't have any other decorations.

Our tree won’t go up until mid-December as it’s a real one and I want some needles left on it by Christmas. The main decorations usually go up around 1st December, but we are thinking of doing it early this year. This is the third Christmas with my dad living with us, his Alzheimer’s has had a surge lately and I think the twinkly lights and decorations will help keep him calm (he adores Christmas). Plus we’ve had a hard year and DH and I could do with a bit of a lift.

I do listen to Christmas carols in the bath from 1st November and have done so for years. I love them.

We get a real tree, usually the second weekend in December or around the 15th, currently have a dc at uni and they will
come back to choose the tree with us. We go with our friends and then stop off for a pub lunch together on the way home.
Dh saws the trunk and bottom branches and gets it in the stand, I put the lights on then sit and watch the dc put the decorations on it.
We have a few additional decorations to put out but really nothing crazy, it all fits in a medium plastic box stored in the loft. I don’t like lots of clutter!
We also don’t have a huge house and the tree takes up enough space, we host Christmas and have an additional 20+ people in our house on Christmas Day so need to keep ‘extra stuff’ to a minimum as it’s a bit of a squeeze.
It then all comes down again on Boxing Day because we go on holiday the day after and come back the day before we go back to work and school.
i love Christmas but have no wish to be surrounded by it for weeks on end.

No tree until school breaks up .. even though mine are in their late 20’s:30s so around the 20/12 .. but we hold 12th night tradition so not down until the 6th xx

We put the tree up mid-December then take it down around first weekend in Jan. Really enjoy festive light walks with the kids.

Well…….you guys are going to go insane when I say mine all went up yday. After a good clean think spring clean for winter both Xmas trees are up, kitchen and living room decorated. One because my eldest’s bday is on Xmas day and we have never joined the 2. So eldest gets to enjoy Xmas from tday onwards. My child is a sucker for candles, lights & a cosy night in with family & 2 well I have a chronic health condition so in order for my children to never miss out anything as I can never predict a good or bad day I started Xmas early to give me time to pace all of my to do list, avoid potential flare ups by not doing too much and getting overwhelmed with it all. That would then affect my being present and I really don’t want to lose making memories. So 1st November Xmas is here!

I took all my pumpkins down today and brought out my "winter" tealight holders. 2 of them are little reindeers but other than that there is nothing overly "in your face" Christmas.

I'll probably put my tree up 3rd week of November just because I love it so much.

Don't really have much in the way of traditions other than christmas baking and It's a Wonderful Life on Christmas Eve

Outside decorations going up weekend of 21st, inside decorations going up from 28th, they will stay up until 2nd Jan, I do leave the Nativity decoration up until Candlemas.

Christmas eve tradition this year is a landing strip for Santa 😅. When our toddler is older we plan on having the fire pit on, toast hot dogs and marshmallows and set up lights on the lawn for Santa. Read it as an idea on here when I was pregnant 5 years ago and cannot WAIT to do it.

Oh decorations used to go up weekend before the 14th. Now Ive got little ones I will struggle to wait until December !

We always put them up the weekend closest to 1 December. This year that means Sunday 29 Nov. The kids love the trees / decorations going up, so are already excited about it! 🎄

Our tree normally goes up 1st weekend of December, we normally go and choose a fresh one and then it lasts ages. Traditions every year are baking some sort of Christmas biscuits on Christmas eve. Usually do some sort of National trust lights or another local lights walk. Panto. Always read the night before Christmas at bedtime on Christmas eve but teens not really into that any more. I normally make my own wreath. We always have a Home Alone evening with snacks and watch the film. As they have got older we've done an evening at a Christmas market. Some festive gift wrapping with mince pies and music.

When I was single and in previous LTR decorations and tree went up 13 December. Any earlier just meant it never felt so special.

Current partner wants everything done on 1 December.

Oh wow. I still have my Halloween decorations up 😆

Made my pudding today, always do it in half term. We all stir it and make a wish.

On 1st Dec the advent calendars come out as well as the huge box of Christmas books in DC’s room. They’ll stay there for 6 weeks and they get to discover all the old favourites.

Christmas doesn’t start until Advent Sunday and finishes on Twelfth Night. My resolution this year is to spend no money on timed ticketed events or trips that end up pressuring tinies to enjoy themselves despite someone being ill, stressful, etc. So we’ll stick to spontaneous trips to a Christmas fair or lights switch on, carol singing in town, play date crafts at home, etc on Advent weekends.

Anything you do as a family can become a tradition due to association rather than your intention. We have whole baked fish on Christmas Eve and DS has already asked breathlessly if it’s “nearly time to go with dad to fetch the fish yet”.

Tree up around 10th December depending how the weekends fall. Christmas tablecloth etc on around the 20th. Christmas food from about then too. Tree stays up until after NY.
When the DC were younger we had the elves bring the advent calendars and a few treats on 1st Dec.
Usually some kind of Christmas outing, moved to a panto/trip away between Christmas and NY now that they’re older.
Christmas eve family church service.

With 4 and 2 year olds I would keep it low key until half way through December or they will just be too hyped up by Christmas and it will all feel exhausting and like an anticlimax. A month is a very long time for young children.

I also feel like it’s a shame to spend all of November doing Christmas stuff, it’s still Autumn which is a lovely season to celebrate in its own right.

I love Christmas but can't stand it being forced down our throats months in advance. The week before Christmas is early enough for me.

Last year I put up the trees (one artificial and one real) and all the decorations around the 1st December - never again! I absolutely love Christmas but my God my kids (12, 12 and 15) drive me mental for the whole month. They went into overdrive and were on “holiday mode” even though the school holidays didn’t happen until the 22nd. This year it will be at least a week/ten days later…

We tend to have a lot of social activities the first weekend in December, so always put the decorations up last weekend in November. Sometimes I’ve even done it the weekend before. Love it, and don’t get bored of them like some people seem to!!

Super excited this year for The Little Advent Fairy to arrive on 1st December. Feels like real childhood magic. She’s so cute!!

I was always a Christmas in December only person, but after I went through cancer a couple of years ago we've changed things up. It makes DD happy and tbh we all enjoy the run up to Christmas more than the actual day!

We decorated the 3rd week in November last year, and will do the same this year. I don't get it all out at once, it comes out gradually over a few days. I'm hosting a Christmas craft weekend at the end of November, and want the house decorated for our friends to feel all cosy and festive 😊as I'm making a lot of this years decorations I got started on that a couple of weeks ago!

Someone I live near has done theirs today

We decorate on Christmas Eve and celebrate until Epiphany. I would love to keep the decorations up until Candlemas.