When to Decorate Opinions....

Updated on November 19, 2010
T.M. asks from Havertown, PA
20 answers

We are having my family here for Thanksgiving. I usually do not decorate for Christmas until the saturday after Thanksgiving. It is a whole day affair... we make the house magic :) My husband would like to decorate this weekend. Since we are not having Christmas dinner here, he would like everyone to enjoy it on Thanksgiving. I am not sure if i want to take down the leaves and pumpkins just yet. I am kind of looking to take a poll of opinions. Please don't attack me for considering this. My husband is the biggest Christmas man you will ever meet. He would have started in October if i let him! We will still write our traditional what we are thankful for at thanksgiving dinner :)

Thank you for your votes!!

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Featured Answers

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R.D.

answers from Kansas City on

For me, I celebrate one holiday at a time. Time goes by too fast as it is. I would enjoy the colorful leaves, pumpkins, cornucopia (horn of plenty), Indian corn, and all the rest until after Thanksgiving. As a child, we always decorated sometime that weekend.

4 moms found this helpful

J.G.

answers from San Antonio on

Ahh if he wants it so bad, let him have it. Just my opinion, but I don't really care too much about that kind of stuff.

if you REALLY want Thanksgiving decor, maybe outside can be Thanksgiving, inside Christmas? Bathrooms thanksgiving, Livingroom Christmas?

3 moms found this helpful

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

AFTER thanksgiving. Let me enjoy this holiday before starting on the next please! :)

5 moms found this helpful
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M.V.

answers from New York on

I kind of think you have enough to do by hosting Thanksgiving - having to decorate for Christmas on top of that seems like alot of pressure! To me it would seem a bit odd to be sitting down for the Thanksgiving dinner when the house is already decked out for Christmas - kind of like being in a time warp. However, I don't think it's really a big enough deal to argue over...as long as hubby is willing to take on decorating duties, that is!

3 moms found this helpful
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T.C.

answers from Colorado Springs on

What about a mixture? Could you compromise with each other and have some of the Christmas decorations up for Thanksgiving and still have mostly Thanksgiving things up? I'm with you though. I think we rush too much to get to Christmas. I want to savor the joy of Autumn first!

2 moms found this helpful
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R.K.

answers from Boston on

We put out our outside decorations but have not lit them. It has been so warm outside I could not help it :) I do not deck out the inside of our house until after my oldest son's birthday. I don't want his special day getting lost in between thanksgiving and christmas.

2 moms found this helpful

L.U.

answers from Seattle on

I make myself wait until the day after Thanksgiving as well. I say, it's thanksgiving, so those decorations stay up!!!

2 moms found this helpful
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C.R.

answers from Kansas City on

I think it would be fine to decorate now. Why not? Let him enjoy the decorations since you won't be there for Christmas. Honestly it's only a week before anyway! Have fun!!!

2 moms found this helpful

D.S.

answers from Allentown on

Hi, T.:
Have both.
Good luck.
D.

2 moms found this helpful
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T.W.

answers from Denver on

I have decorated before Thanksgiving when I had a ton of people coming mostly because I wouldn't be able to do my traditional Sunday after Thanksgiving Christmas Decorating event (they were all staying with us). I must say I missed the Thanksgiving decorations at Thanksgiving. The decorations for that holiday are special too. I say do your Christmas decorations when you usually do and send them all pics.

Enjoy the season!

2 moms found this helpful
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M.K.

answers from Kansas City on

Well, there is a family in our neighborhood who puts up their Christmas before Thanksgiving for the exact reason you mentioned! They don't get visitors, nor do they visit others, for Christmas but they host Thanksgiving, so the whole family brings "Christmas" over Thanksgiving and that's when they celebrate! It works for them. We would probably do this too except we started making picking out a live tree a tradition with our kids so it wouldn't make it 'till Christmas!

1 mom found this helpful

B.K.

answers from Chicago on

I always host Thanksgiving, and I always decorate for Christmas before everyone is here, because I have WAY more Christmas decorations than T-giving. So the house looks nicer, and festive!

(I still decorate my table for T-giving. You can mix decorations. It all looks nice.)

1 mom found this helpful

T.N.

answers from Albany on

Hi T., like you I usually pull out the Christmas stuff the weekend after Thanksgiving (course it takes me a week or so to get it the way I want it, plus we don't get a tree til 2 wks before Christmas).

But my sister, who DOES Thanksgiving dinner, likes to do what your husband says, have it all decked out for Thanksgiving since they don't have company at all for Christmas.

But I guess it makes no sense to me that it should FEEL and LOOK like Christmas on Thanksgiving. So I guess I agree with you!

:)

1 mom found this helpful
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J.L.

answers from Los Angeles on

I was contimplating decorating this weeked as we will be gone for thanksgiving and time will be crunched when we get back. But I would not feel like thanksgiving with a christmas tree up if I were home. I'm sure if you did decorate you would get some comments but in the end it doesn;t matter. Do what feels right to you.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.M.

answers from Laredo on

I think wait! I personally dont like to see that people have decorated before Thanksgiving. I hate going to the stores in October and seeing them decorated already with Christmas stuff, and I love Christmas. You can ask anyone that knows me though and they will tell you one of my biggest pet peeves is what I call "holiday skippers" lol.
Enjoy one holiday at a time, if he wants to decorate so bad dont wait until the Saturday after do it Friday... Just my opinion.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.B.

answers from Harrisburg on

My opinion is to decorate for Thanksgiving since it's Thanksgiving. Otherwise you're ignoring the holiday to give thanks for what you have. That's the reason for the holiday.

At our home we don't think about decorating for Christmas in November at all. Depending on how the weekends fall it's between 2-3 weeks before Christmas, usually 2 weeks before because we keep our tree up through New Year's and we don't want to get bored with it all.

It doesn't matter if you're not having dinner at home. The decorations are for you, not for others. Decorate as you normally would and where ever you have dinner is where you eat.

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat
events and chat within 2 hour radius

1 mom found this helpful
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D.T.

answers from Philadelphia on

We've already decorated - except for the tree, which will wait til after Thanksgiving! Since we're gone for a week at Thanksgiving and a week at Christmas we wanted to actually enjoy our decorations this year!! And I figure, the house looks great and it didn't hurt anyone so why not?! Go for it! Your guests will love it.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Philadelphia on

I love that you do so much for Thanksgiving - I think I'm going to take your idea of writing what you're thankful & adding it next to our annual family photo we take & put in a photo album. What a great & SIMPLE idea.
I might be right behind your husband with the love of Christmas spirit. However, as much as I love it (& I've already tried to find Christmas music on the radio), I will NOT be decorating until after Thanksgiving. I do plan on starting on Saturday as well (after we return from my MIL in NC).
In the end, you need to make the decision that is right for you. If you do start to decorate, maybe make the Thanksgiving table off-limits for Christmas decorations.

1 mom found this helpful
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K.F.

answers from New York on

I have no Christmas or Thanksgiving decorations. We are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at my house. I could use some of your decorations. ;-) just kidding.

I love just being thankful to God at Thanksgiving time. I think it might be fun to have an early dinner, sing carols and have the family help you decorate for Christmas. This way everyone is happy except for the game watchers. They really hate having their coveted game time interrupted.

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Pittsburgh on

Keep it on the Saturday after Thanksgiving! Tradition! ;-)

1 mom found this helpful
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