Is it too early to put the Christmas tree up?

My little potted tree (from last year) will go outside the front door on Sunday. Must find the lights and make sure they’re working!

But what do they do in those dark January days? It is just as dark and probably much colder? Don't we still need the lights (I think even more) then?

I think it’s becoming normal to put trees up earlier and earlier. I remember one colleague telling us that she put her tree up on her daughter’s birthday, (Dec 4th, same as my dad’s) and we all thought she was mad!

My sisters house is like Santa's grotto🎅🤶 everywhere, including the garden is twinkling, looks very pretty , bit much for me, little tree up mid December will be fine

Our neighbours still have a skeleton leaning on their tree and pumpkins rotting in the garden. No doubt they will soon be illuminated by Christmas lights around their house. 😏

It’s a bit early IMO. As kids the tree didn’t go up until Christmas Eve and came down on 2nd February (Candlemas). My dear mum was German.
I think that’s a bit extreme so mine goes up in the first week of Dec and comes down on the Epiphany.

Over the last week several neighbours have put their Christmas lights up .
I love it .
It's dark ,
cold and gloomy and the news is depressing - so these bright decorations make everything bright and cheerful .

My son and his wife in the US have just been complaining to me about people putting Christmas trees & decs up before Thanksgiving! It seems it’s not just the UK that likes to have a moan.

Part of me longs to get going because of the cheerfulness but I know we'll wait till the w/e of the 14th/15th and even then do things rather piecemeal starting with the tree lights and the wreath on the front door.

Posted a bit soon: X is the Greek letter Chi, which is the first letter of the Greek word Christos from which we get “Christ” in English. It goes into more detail if you look it up on the internet, but really it means that using X is not insulting or belittling the word Christmas.

Christmas is not only two days, Christmas Day and Boxing Day, but in fact 12 days.

Advent is the run up to Christmas Day, starting Dec 1st, and Advent candles in church are lit from the first Sunday in Advent, which this year happens to fall on Dec 1st.

As for abbreviating Christmas to Xmas, no one is being disrespectful, because the X was the Greek letter in the New Testament for the word Christ. Easily googled if you don’t believe me.

It's Advent Sunday this weekend so go for it if you want to

It does spur me on to wrap things, seems less of a chore with the tree up- and a mad panic to do everything at once.Seems lots more peaceful to have four weeks to prepare, not one as my parents used to do.

Did mine yesterday! Usually wait until 1st week December but I have friends from Holland visiting on Friday and wanted it to be bright and cheerful for their arrival. It really does make me feel more cheerful!!

00opsidia

in a month it will be Boxing Day and all over.

I love the week between Christmas and New Year! All the cheerful lights and decorations still up, lots of lovely leftovers to eat up, usually plenty of chocolates still left, not much in the way of cooking, no shopping! - except for a few basics.

TopGunner

MissInterpreted

TopGunner

Yes, put it up, my family have all their trees up and even homes in my street have decorated outside their homes. Christmas only lasts two days this year so get trimming up.

I don't understand that last sentence. If Xmas only lasts two days (?) why put your tree up now?

Christmas is only two days, 25th December and Boxing Day 26th December. All the other days are the run up to Christmas so I think it is lovely to have all the decorations up early to get us in the Christmas spirit.

Also I think anyone who types Xmas instead of Christmas has no respect for Christmas at all. Never shorten the spelling of a holy day.

No- it is the Bank Holidays that last two days. The holy season of Christmas lasts from midnight on Christmas Eve (hence Midnight mass) until midnight on the feast of the Epiphany ie 6th January. In more ancient times it lasted right until Candlemas in February.

This is the Christmas I celebrate, and many others with me.

I am surprised you defend it being a holy day, when in fact it lasts for a whole 12 days!

mae13

00opsidia

in a month it will be Boxing Day and all over.

Yes, all over - thank the Lord!

I've always thought it a lot of effort for only one week, so it would be nice to enjoy it for a month, but I doubt we'll get around to it in the next fewdays . We have decided where it will go.

TopGunner

MissInterpreted

TopGunner

Yes, put it up, my family have all their trees up and even homes in my street have decorated outside their homes. Christmas only lasts two days this year so get trimming up.

I don't understand that last sentence. If Xmas only lasts two days (?) why put your tree up now?

Christmas is only two days, 25th December and Boxing Day 26th December. All the other days are the run up to Christmas so I think it is lovely to have all the decorations up early to get us in the Christmas spirit.

Also I think anyone who types Xmas instead of Christmas has no respect for Christmas at all. Never shorten the spelling of a holy day.

We've been through the whole X in Xmas debate on here before - and in any case, I'm an atheist, so 'holy' days have no meaning for me.

MissInterpreted

TopGunner

Yes, put it up, my family have all their trees up and even homes in my street have decorated outside their homes. Christmas only lasts two days this year so get trimming up.

I don't understand that last sentence. If Xmas only lasts two days (?) why put your tree up now?

Christmas is only two days, 25th December and Boxing Day 26th December. All the other days are the run up to Christmas so I think it is lovely to have all the decorations up early to get us in the Christmas spirit.

Also I think anyone who types Xmas instead of Christmas has no respect for Christmas at all. Never shorten the spelling of a holy day.

00opsidia

in a month it will be Boxing Day and all over.

Yes, all over - thank the Lord!

Mine is up xx

in a month it will be Boxing Day and all over.

Our pre lit white birch type tree will be in the conservatory by the end of the week. It’s wet and dismal here. The lights on the tree will cheer me, the reflections are beautiful. Too early? Maybe for some but right for me.

It will be the last year for the tree, a real sadness, climbing aloft to store and retrieve it is becoming less than safe. I’ve already planned flat, lit decorations for the conservatory window ledges which can be stored easily without climbing to retrieve them and yes, they are likely to be installed in November when next year comes.

Surely the desire to bring decorations of any kind into our homes is as different as we all are. Definitely no rights and wrongs.

In a word, Yes!

Put the tree up early or put the tree up late. Whichever is fine. Each to his own. Whatever makes you happy.
😁