# When Do You Put Up Your Christmas Decorations?... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2005, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304 "2005-11-09T23:23:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304/41 "2006-10-31T10:52:22Z")
I spent half a year working in Costa Rica. Townships there never take the Christmas decorations down: they’re there year-round and get lit whenever there’s an excuse to “make pretty”. Saw some homes that had the Nativity just planted there, all year long. From my childhood in Spain I’m used to decorating around December 8 (which is a national holiday, so you have the whole day to bring down boxes and set up the nativity). Mom freaks out if St Lucy (never sure if it’s the 12th or the 13th) rolls by and her home isn’t properly tinseled up. Between those two extremes - whatever rocks the homeowner’s boat, so long as it’s not real rotting body parts. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304/42 "2006-10-31T15:35:46Z")
Couldn’t there be a new thread instead of an old zombie? > [@](#): > > I’m willing to concede that since Christianity is the predominant religion in America, the statistical certainty is that there are more fringe-zealot-kook-nutjobs in that faith who will take it one step too far … but decorating for Christmas the minute the leaves start turning orange? You’re making the assumption that early Christmas decorations = very religious Christian. Do you know that that is the case? IME, the people who get very into decorating their houses are not the same people who get very into the religious aspects of Christmas–the religious ones usually try to keep the focus elsewhere, while more secular types are more likely to go crazy for lights and intense decorations. They like to call people who don’t care for lots of lights “Grinchlike,” not “unchristian.” Obviously there are probably plenty of religious decorators too, but in my own experience, unless your particular neighbors have 3 Nativity scenes out on the lawn, they probably aren’t that religious. That said, early Christmas decorating annoys me too. I don’t like to see anything before December 1st at the very earliest. But I am losing the fight and drowning in a tide of commercialism. Hey, at least we have Halloween and Thanksgiving to stem the tide; I hear that in Germany, Christmas starts in September… ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304/43 "2006-10-31T16:37:36Z")
I live alone & don’t always bother much with decorations. But I do have a nice table-size fake tree that looks good with mini lights & ethnic doo-dads. It goes up on Christmas Eve & stays 'til Epiphany. (I look at Advent as a mini-Lent; yes, I was raised Catholic.) Perhaps a couple of the traditional plastic candles in the windows if I’m truly inspired. Some neighbors follow the same schedule with their yard decorations–usually a creche & additions. One year they added a large map of the world, embellished with the peace symbol. Everything comes down on Epiphany & they hang the Mardi Gras flag. Some years ago, I met elderly sisters who had a “Christmas” room in their house all year 'round. One fully decorated tree plus every Christmas collectible available. With duplicates stored for their kids. Decorate as you wish! Some of the standard Thanksgiving decorations are a bit odd–cute Pilgrims? I’d recommend a fake tree if it’s going to be up a while… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2006, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304/44 "2006-10-31T16:49:17Z")
anamnesis, are you sure they’re not Hindu, and celebrating Diwali? Cause Diwali was on the 20th of October this year (damn Lunar New Year). Other than that, I am a huge decoration whore and I don’t have a single thing up for Halloween this year, nor Thanksgiving, and won’t do Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Kind of sad, actually. ---
**Author:** ![Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/278dde/32.png) [@Runs\_With\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Runs_With_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304/45 "2006-11-01T04:33:36Z")
I usually do it the friday after thanksgiving, but i have a friend coming, so i’ll put them up the weekend before thanksgiving; i’ll turn them on Wednesday night. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2006, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304/46 "2006-11-01T05:00:36Z")
[QUOTE=dangermom] Couldn’t there be a new thread instead of an old zombie? [/QUOTE] What’s Halloween without the stray Zombie here and there? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-do-you-put-up-your-christmas-decorations/330304.md?page=2)