Now that Halloween has passed and November has arrived, people are beginning to get into the holiday spirit. Some people even skip over Thanksgiving completely and are already putting their trees up. The question is: How soon is “too soon” to start decorating for Christmas?
With the comfort and joy of the holidays, it’s no wonder people want to promptly replace their skeletons and pumpkins with candy canes and snowmen. Unlike Halloween, Christmas decorations are known to be bright and cheerful. Having Christmas lights strung all around your house can certainly lift your spirits as the days get shorter and the nights get colder.
The temperature change is another reason why people start decorating early. It is much easier to put up decorations while you’re still able to see the grass. Snow can start to fall long before Thanksgiving, which brings a problem for those who choose to decorate after. As soon as snow covers the ground and the temperature drops, nobody wants to hang lights outside when they can barely feel their fingers.
Personally, I grew up with the Christmas decorations going up the day after Halloween. My mom loved to spend the day watching a Christmas movie while she adorned the house. For her, it’s never too soon to get in the holiday spirit. It seems that stores are even stocking their shelves with their Christmas items earlier every year. For my mom, seeing the holiday decor while she’s shopping just makes her more excited to cover our house in it. She also finds it easier to get decorating out of the way before the busyness of the season arrives.
On the contrary, some people think that trees should only go up after Thanksgiving, or sometimes not even until December 1st. These types of people get upset when their neighbors want to get festive early because, for them, it’s tradition to wait until the actual season to start decorating. Some may feel opposed to having decorations up too long, so they wait just before Christmas to put them up. They also wait to avoid getting tired of the holidays before they even start, and by prolonging decorating, they can enjoy the season to its fullest when it actually arrives. Another reason why some individuals choose to decorate later could be because of time conflicts with their loved ones. Nobody wants to experience the joy of Christmas on their own, so waiting is necessary until the whole family is together to begin the festivities. Now I must admit, it can become overwhelming once I see the immense number of bins filled to the brim with Christmas decorations. While the holidays are supposed to be a time of relaxation with your friends and family, they can be stressful. For this reason, it’s understandable why people choose to avoid the extra pressure that comes with Christmas before it even starts.
I conducted a poll with 12 people and asked them if it was too early to decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving. The results showed that 83 percent of participants were in favor of starting to decorate before Thanksgiving, while the remaining 17 percent were opposed to the idea. I may be biased, but I also find it acceptable to decorate early. Still, there are a select few individuals who would rather wait to experience the holiday spirit.
To finally settle the holiday debate of when one should start to decorate for Christmas, there is no definite answer. The reality is that it truly comes down to what you prefer. If it brings you joy to deck the halls early, then you should not let anyone stop you from putting up your Christmas decorations as soon as the clocks hit midnight on Halloween. However, if you find it acceptable to wait until after Thanksgiving to put your tree up, then keep your pumpkins out for as long as you’d like. I know I’ll be decorating my room as soon as I get home for Thanksgiving break. When will you begin decorating?