[Dan's wife]

When do you put up your Christmas decorations? I so want to do it now! But it might be a little early yet.

[excitedmommy2007]

I agree Joni, now that it's cold I want them to be up. The house smells totally different and it feels all kinds of cozy!! We start immediately after thanksgiving and it takes us about a week or two to get everything up!

[Nicole_M]

We ususally have it up by the first Sunday of Advent.

[*~*Lindsey*~*]

RIGHT after Thanksgiving!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ETA: HAHA!!!! I said right after Christmas!

[kaceyracey]

the day after Thanksgiving - as long as I can remember that is when my parent's have always done it so I just continued that tradition when I moved out on my own

[christy005]

the day after, or the weekend after thanksgiving.

[Lady Moonlight]

I dunno. Sometime before Christmas for sure. I think one year, they were out about a week before Christmas and stayed out til February. Boy was my timing off. I hate decorating though. We don't do anything indoors except pull out my Christmas countdown quilt. My mom made it for me when I was a baby. Now I'm trying to teach DS about it. It comes with a little bear and on each day counting down to the holiday, he looks someplace on the quilt for Christmas. And then on Christmas Eve he finds it. Really cute. Maybe I'll post a pic when I pull it out.

[MommaOnCloud9]

Christmas decorations go out the day before Thanksgiving and are put away New Year's Day or the day after that.

Now, if it took me a whole week to put up the decorations, I'd probably put them up before Thanksgiving. I'd want to enjoy all that work for much longer.

[Dan's wife]

I dunno. Sometime before Christmas for sure. I think one year, they were out about a week before Christmas and stayed out til February. Boy was my timing off. I hate decorating though. We don't do anything indoors except pull out my Christmas countdown quilt. My mom made it for me when I was a baby. Now I'm trying to teach DS about it. It comes with a little bear and on each day counting down to the holiday, he looks someplace on the quilt for Christmas. And then on Christmas Eve he finds it. Really cute. Maybe I'll post a pic when I pull it out.[/b]

I have something like that too! It shows the inside of his house and it tells you where he looks then at the end he finds his family around the tree in the living room. My mom put velcro on the bear and each place he looks and my brother and I used to fight about who could move him everyday.

I'm going to try to wait til Thanksgiving day to put up my decorations. Dh will have to work that day so maybe I can get it all done then since he hates decorating.

[RainyDay]

I try to put them up as close to Thanksgiving as possible, like the day after or that weekend. I leave them up until the Epiphany, which is around Jan 7 or so.

[Mom2Nat&Ry]

a little after Thanksgiving

[UrbanMomma]

Good lawd, I am the scrooge here....I put mine up the week of Christmas and it rarely makes it past the day after Christmas. I have been known to have my tree and all decorations down by the end of Christmas Day. I just can't stand the clutter. I have a running joke every Christmas about just taping a picture of a Christmas tree up on the wall.

I won't even tell you about the year I canceled Christmas altogether........

[*~*Lindsey*~*]

Good lawd, I am the scrooge here....I put mine up the week of Christmas and it rarely makes it past the day after Christmas. I have been known to have my tree and all decorations down by the end of Christmas Day. I just can't stand the clutter. I have a running joke every Christmas about just taping a picture of a Christmas tree up on the wall.

I won't even tell you about the year I canceled Christmas altogether........[/b]

SCROOGE!!!!!!!

[excitedmommy2007]

Jen but that is how things used to be. My Grandma said her parents didn't put the tree up until Christmas Eve after they all went to bed, and they each got one gift. (she was the youngest of 7 kids). So it was more of a big deal to see the tree than the gifts and spend the day w/the family.

[*~*Lindsey*~*]

Jen but that is how things used to be. My Grandma said her parents didn't put the tree up until Christmas Eve after they all went to bed, and they each got one gift. (she was the youngest of 7 kids). So it was more of a big deal to see the tree than the gifts and spend the day w/the family.[/b]

My moms parents *my grandparents* did the same thing, after all the kids went to bed *Santa* would bring the tree and decorate it and then lay out the gifts. As for taking the decorations down they waited until the 6th or something of January. So they kept it up for a couple weeks. They wern't aloud to play or use any of their gifts until the 6th or whatever of January.

[Nicole_M]

I try to put them up as close to Thanksgiving as possible, like the day after or that weekend. I leave them up until the Epiphany, which is around Jan 7 or so.[/b]

We do too! That's why I hate when business make the season end December 26. I guess that's why you have to rely on your religious roots to help you celebrate and not the local radio station that plays Christmas music or the stores with their Christmas displays.

[FamilyShorty]

Day after Thanksgiving.

[UrbanMomma]

I guess my thing is I am sick of Christmas by the time it gets here. It's so commercial now and retailers start shoving Christmas down your throat right around Halloween. 2 1/2 straight months of Christmas this and Christmas that...ughhh.Buy, buy, buy...your kids need gifts, your mailman needs a gift, your kids teacher needs a gift...the freakin dog needs a gift....ughhh.

Also it used to matter if children actually were good and respectful and well behaved (when I was a kid), ya know, now it doesn't matter, kids are nasty, rude, disrespectful and mean and still get some huge Christmas celebration. My kids know, either they act like they deserve celebrations and extras all year long...or basically I will cancel every thing, Christmas, birthdays and anything else "extra" or fun.

I like to make sure too my children understand Christmas isn't just a big free for all and some big fat dude in a red costume, lands on our roof with his crew of flying reindeer and slides down a chimney, we don't have, to leave gifts under a tree. I have to work my behind off to get the gifts they want and they need to understand that, IMO. Life isn't free and nothing in it is. They also have to understand there are a lot of people/kids who don't get a Christmas, and if they did have one, they'd just like a good dinner or a warm bed because some people don't have those things. There are kids out there who don't even ask for a toy for Christmas because they don't have a warm winter jacket to wear when they walk to school. I mean, my kids don't have a lot, but there are some kids out there who have nothing.....nothing...and they would love socks and warm boots!!

I dunno, it just pisses me off because it seems like the real meaning of Christmas is gone and its just a big money maker for stores and a big budget breaker for parents/families.

Okay, I am done being the Scrooge. Oh, and I am NOT against other people having huge Christmas celebrations and just really getting into the holiday season...it just doesn't work for me. I am hoping to find a food pantry to volunteer me and the older kids at to load holiday dinner boxes.

Okay, I swear, I am done now.

[excitedmommy2007]

I dunno, it just pisses me off because it seems like the real meaning of Christmas is gone and its just a big money maker for stores and a big budget breaker for parents/families.[/b]

Very very true!! We still try to have a big focus on the religious aspect of it at our house with advent and going to church on christmas eve.

Plus you are right there are a lot of families that just look forward to a good meal and the necessities for Christmas. At my old job we used too adopt a family and pull things off the tree in the break room to get for them. My dad's work does the same, and I enjoy doing stuff like that.

For me I like to celebrate Family more than anything. I like seeing all my family and having dinners with them during the holiday season. I think this year we are going to stop the gift exchanges except for the little kids. Half the time i can't think of anything I want anyway!


Oh and we don't take down our stuff until the Epiphany either.

[UrbanMomma]

What is Epiphany?