Merry Christmas! …wait, too soon?
Forty-three sleeps.
In forty-three sleeps I’ll have eaten entirely too much, will be entirely too excited and will shuffle off to bed to anxiously await Santa’s arrival (I’m still five inside, so sue me. haha). I’ll be (almost) Christmas-caroled out, will already be missing Gingerbread and will have enjoyed Christmas lights for many, many sleeps. But how many is too many?
I taught an early morning class for my church last week and as a result was out in my car before 7am. While I love mornings, being awake, showered and out before 7am isn’t typically how I like to enjoy them. However, I happened to catch an interesting blurb on the radio that I might have otherwise missed. For all you Ontarians / Torontians, if you are not already listening to Virgin Radio, get on that train right now. I love it. It’s a lot of AT 40 music and music that makes you want to get off your bum and DANCE. I also really, really like the hosts, and on this one particularly very early morning they were doing a call-in show about Christmas decorations and how early is too early to put those babies up.
I have to admit, I was shocked to hear how many people called in to say that they had already completely decked out their house for the holidays, complete with tree, garland, bows and lights–inside and out. We’re what, November 12th here? And this was at least seven days ago. Now let me be clear: my mother raised us to be complete Christmasaholics. Christmas is like a high for my siblings and I, especially my sisters. Peeah has already Christmasafied her home–tree and all–while I don’t personally do decorations this early, it seemed normal enough, and I assumed that this was confined to my Christmas-addicted family.
Umm… no.
Call after call after call came into the hosts describing their newly decorated homes, all ready for the holiday season, which is still forty-three sleeps away.
So it made me wonder–how soon is too soon?
As much as I hate the stuff, I need snow for things to feel Christmasy and (thankfully) Pretty City hasn’t seen any yet. It just doesn’t feel right for me to hang snowflakes or reindeer in my window while the sun shines brightly down on the green grass on our lawn. I usually try to wait until after December 1st before breaking out the decorations or listening to Christmas music. Last year I started the music way too early and I was so sick of it by the time the holiday actually rolled around.
So I wait… but it appears I might be in a bit of a minority here.
What do you think? Are you a Christmasaholic, or is it still too soon? When do you dust off the holiday boxes?
12 Comments
Cindy
It is definitely too early. I don't have a problem with hanging the lights outside before your fingers freeze off, but it's too early to turn them on or put up any other decorations. Dec. 1st is the limit. Kinda like you can't wear white shoes after labour day. Rules are there for a reason…
curiousillusion
I think it's too soon. I decorate every year the day after Thanksgiving… although my dad is saying that he won't decorate til December. But still.. day after Thanksgiving.
Now buying Christmas stuff is all up for grabs for me, I've been doing it since late October. But that's only because if you wait too long, everything is gone. Plus a lot of stuff is on sale already so I might as well go for it.
KristinaP
I say Thanksgiving. I have to admit, however, I look at all the Christmas stuff in the stores.
kylaroma
I kind of love that we don't have a late thanksgiving as a roadblock to decorating. We have a few little decorations in our house now and I'm excited for it to snow. Once there's snow, I figure it's fair game.
Classroom Confessions
Lol! I think it may be too soon as well. I day after American Thanksgiving, basically the end of November. Then I get my tree the first week of December and start decorating. I come from a Hispanic background, so we leave our tree and decorations up until Three Kings day which is January 6th.
Becky
I love the holidays. However, key word is holidays – as in plural. There is a holiday before Thanksgiving people! I'm all for putting up Christmas stuff on Black Friday, but it seems like this year people are getting way too carried away way to quickly.
veggiecarrie
Yes, I agree it's too soon, Christmas should arrive in December and is spoilt by it arriving too early, but I think mid-November is okay. In England we don't have Thanksgiving (and other celebrations such as Halloween are not big here) so Christmas starts arriving in the shops in Septmber, and fully arrives in October with Christmas adverts and shop displays. It's not right!
CallitaClan
I TOTALLY think it is too early. I LOVE to decorate for all of the holidays…seriously…I have way too many bins of decorations. But I am very picky about how long they should stay up. They shouldn't go up earlier than the beginning of the month in which the holiday is in and should come down within a few days of the holiday happening. Hence, Valentine's Day only gets 15ish days. Christmas does get a little extra, because I think they can go up the weekend after Thanksgiving. But they have to come down before New Years. The Fourth of July actually gets part of the month of June and then half way into July, but after that it is just summer themed decorations.
Janet
I shoot for decorating the day after Thanksgiving. I think before Thanksgiving is too soon. What REALLY annoys me is that BOTH of the local radio stations I listen to (sometimes, I have satellite radio, which I broke down and got for this very reason a couple years ago!) started playing all Christmas music the first day of November. ALL CHRISTMAS music. Too much, and waaaaayyy too soon.
Andhari Sidharta
I'm not even a christian but I love christmas. I love how the christmas drinks are already out in starbucks, nothing i love more than hot tofee nut latte during rainy days lol oh and to feel more festive, i'm signed to perform on a gig at a christmas party in Buddha Bar here lol. I'm gonna enjoy a lot of spiked christmas drinks :)
Erin
I try to wait until after Thanksgiving to start decorating…but I have to say that I love when all the stores through up their Christmas decorations. Makes everything feel so festive!
Jill Pilgrim
I hate Christmas. Is that weird? Considering I love Jesus so much?