It is an age-old debate. As stores put out holiday decorations earlier and earlier, Christmas lights glow on houses as early as November, and radio stations play Christmas songs the day after Halloween, the debate lingers on…
To decorate for Christmas before Thanksgiving or after?
I have found there are typically two types of people: those who want to decorate before Thanksgiving and those who won’t even think about trimming the tree until Turkey Day is through. It seems people are equally passionate on both sides of this debate. Those who want to get into the holiday spirit early will decorate before Thanksgiving and those who believe that each holiday should have a turn will wait until the turkey has been eaten before they even think about decking their halls.
I used to be part of the wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas crowd, but in recent years, I have switched sides. I now decorate for Christmas right after Halloween. But wait and hear me out all you post Turkey Day decorators! I do have a small Thanksgiving display until that day is over, but I happily string my lights and put the tree up as well. Now, we do put up a lot of decorations, which takes time and I need to have them up long enough for it to feel worth all the effort, but I do have another, and perhaps more important reason.
I started putting up Christmas decorations early one year out of necessity. My husband and I went on vacation right after Thanksgiving, so we put up our Christmas decorations before we left that year to save time and so the house would be decorated when we got back. This was done because we had to; however, what I found after that holiday season passed was that I quite enjoyed having the decorations up early because it allowed me to enjoy more of the holiday season. I was able to enjoy more of the season and spend less time rustling through boxes of ornaments and untangling lights.
Now, after being a mom, I feel this way even more.
I finish decorating early so I can have more time to enjoy the whole holiday season with my kids. Let’s face it, the holidays are busy enough – shopping, parties, baking, wrapping, family activities and more. Of course, decorating the tree is a fun family tradition, but it is just as fun before Thanksgiving as it is after. So, why not cross decorating off your list early so you can savor the moments of the season even longer?
I did, and now that I have, I don’t think I could go back. Enjoy that tree longer before you have to take it down, take time to bask in the glow of Christmas lights and pine-scented candles before they go out, listen to Christmas carols longer and embrace the idea of decorating for the holidays early!
