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How early is too early for Christmas?

24

Replies

  • PapillonNoire
    PapillonNoire Posts: 76 Member
    Halloween is my favorite holiday so it does irk me when Christmas starts infringing on "my" holiday. So many stores start putting Christmas stuff out in September now! But once we're past 10/31, I think Christmas is fair game. Most years I put stuff out Thanksgiving weekend.
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
    @AnnPT77 Thank you for your insightful words, and for being so kind and considerate. :)

    I have mixed feelings regarding Christmas; on the one hand, I enjoy the family celebration, the street decorations, and all that; but on the other hand, it is often a stressful period for me, so to be honest I'm kind of relieved when January comes and life gets back to normal.
    Nevertheless, I say everyone should celebrate what they want, when they want. So, OP, if it makes you happy, go for it! :)
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Christmas starts when Advent ends, on Christmas eve.
  • asthesoapturns
    asthesoapturns Posts: 313 Member
    I've been staring out at Christmas since September. I work for a wholesaler in the floral industry. We were late getting Christmas out this year with Covid. So instead of setting up the displays in August, it was September. I'm already a little bored.

    For my parents' place, where I do their outdoor lights because they are getting onto the wrong side of old and decrepit, I'll put them up the first nice weekend after Remembrance Day. For my place, where I only do indoors because I do not have an outdoors, I'll put the tree and *kitten* up for Advent.
  • AndreaTamira
    AndreaTamira Posts: 272 Member
    Well, Advent kinda starts the season. So, 29th November this year.

    I refuse to do anything that is related to Christmas before that point.

    But, if you like to start earlier, knock yourself out. Have fun, there isn't enough of that around as is.
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 8,926 Member
    Ann, Yes, Christmas can be very hard for some people.

    I knew a lady once whose son died in a car crash on Christmas day - years before I knew her - and she dreaded and hated Christmas for the rest of her life

    Of course most peoples struggles with Christmas are not that extreme - but it is a time that brings out loneliness or feelings of loss for many.

    Back to OP - I enjoy Christmas but I refuse to acknowledge it before December 1st - after that I send Christmas cards, wear Christmas tshirts, decorate etc.
    But only after that, not before.
    1 month is enough
  • gisem17
    gisem17 Posts: 50 Member
    I consider Thanksgiving to be a mini Christmas. So as soon as Halloween is over Christmas can begin.
  • B_Plus_Effort
    B_Plus_Effort Posts: 311 Member
    edited November 2020
    short answer is yes, and this is one of my pet peeves, the commercialization of the Holidays is pushing and pushing things up more, I swear I saw Halloween stuff as early as July this year, took pics to prove it, then it's out with fake Christmas trees in Home Depot in August, wth people, slow down, enjoy life

    but I am biased because I do not like Christmas at all, I fake it for my family and kids, but it is a horrible time of year, just go around and hang out the stores around the crazy season, plus for us trying to loose weight, forget about it, my son calls it the Eating Season (Halloween till Super Bowl) ha ha
  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,983 Member
    I'm now thinking about this in regards to a normal year, and it really depends on where you live.

    In the U.S., we have 3 major holidays in 3 months...Halloween at the end of October, Thanksgiving at the end of November, and Christmas at the end of December. All involve various levels of planning, shopping, and decorating. Some people love this, others find it exhausting (In a normal year, I'm in somewhere in the middle). There is inevitably a lot of marketing overlap, which annoys a lot of people.

    That's why you're hearing a lot of...
    I don't want to think about Thanksgiving until after Halloween...
    I don't want to think about Christmas until after Thanksgiving...

    In countries that don't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, I can see the appeal of starting your Christmas season early. Even in Canada, which celebrates their Thanksgiving in October, there is a considerable "break" between then and Christmas.
  • EmpressBarbara
    EmpressBarbara Posts: 18 Member
    Girl, whatever floats your boat! Who says no to joy? The Grinch, that's who!
  • littlegreenparrot1
    littlegreenparrot1 Posts: 694 Member
    Normally I don't put anything up until a few days before Christmas, or I get really fed up tripping over it.

    Came across #shinebrightscotland on Instagram yesterday though, and loved it. The campaign is to encourage people across Scotland to put up all the fairy lights to try and brighten up what is inevitably going to be a long old winter. I'm not in Scotland, but might dig the lights out anyway :)
  • michelle_FR
    michelle_FR Posts: 191 Member
    It’s *kitten* 2020, no rules on this. Do whatever your little heart desires 🎄
  • ReenieHJ
    ReenieHJ Posts: 9,724 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    This year, everything Christmas is going to depress me, because I know I won't be able to see all my family and celebrate like we usually do. I'm not doing well with the "everything is normal" crowd.

    My mom died a week before Christmas in 2017, and she was always a huge fan of Christmas and went all out decorating, especially after my sister and I moved away (we'd usually visit on Christmas most years). When going through her stuff later, my sister made us keep most of the Christmas stuff (I took a little bit back, my dad has it all in storage), because it is just so sentimental to her (I was on a bit more of a Mari Kondo kick -- thank the items for bringing your loved one such joy, and then let go of it -- but let my sister decide).

    Anyway, that year we didn't celebrate Christmas at all, other than a dinner at which we talked about my mom, and then the following year I put up my tree and everything late and didn't really understand why I kept putting it off, and then on Christmas Eve I put on carols and rushed around decorating the tree and wrapping some presents before my sister came over and just had a huge rush of sadness and tears, since everything I was doing reminded me so very strongly of my mom. Now it feels more comforting that I do think of her so strongly then, and I'm looking forward to doing what I can for Christmas this year with lights and decorations.

    I totally get why decorating might feel painful and depressing or go along with a feeling of loss, although I actually am looking forward to decorating and so on this year, and seeing what my neighbors do.

    {HUGS} to you; losing anyone you love is painful enough but during a holiday season, it feels like an extra stab to the heart. I hope you can grab hold of some of your mom's holiday spirit this year, smile tenderly when you think of all the memorable times that you've had because of her.

    Life can still be good.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    Christmas is my favorite so never too early for me, lol. I start decorating though the day after thanksgiving. Christmas season goes by in a blink of an eye so I like to make it last as long as possible. I remember as a kid it couldn't come fast enough, now I want it to slow down!