Author Topic: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?  (Read 63457 times)

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #30 on: November 12, 2007, 05:27:45 pm »
I think me and Chrissi need to come see an US christmas - post pictures puhleese - start a new thread of decorations!!!


Tell ya what: when I was a child/teenager, I lived near an American military base. It was a village on its own, partly military administration buildings, partly residential area. And they had a real American highschool. With those typical lockers in the corridors (no German school has them).
Anyway, back then the securitiy level was non existing and everybody could drive through the village. Shortly before Christmas, we always drove through the American village to have a look at the exuberant decorations of those strange Americans  ;).

Offline Kelda

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #31 on: November 12, 2007, 05:34:28 pm »

Tell ya what: when I was a child/teenager, I lived near an American military base. It was a village on its own, partly military administration buildings, partly residential area. And they had a real American highschool. With those typical lockers in the corridors (no German school has them).
Anyway, back then the securitiy level was non existing and everybody could drive through the village. Shortly before Christmas, we always drove through the American village to have a look at the exuberant decorations of those strange Americans  ;).

 ;D

(and no lockers in my school either)
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Offline brokebackjack

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #32 on: November 12, 2007, 08:50:40 pm »
HA!

You want exuberant, travel a few kilometres south this year and visit Wien...Those Viennese KNOW how to do Christmas!

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Susiebell

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #33 on: November 15, 2007, 06:04:58 am »
My tree goes up on the 1st December every year ... I can't wait!!  The British are fairly modest with their outdoor decorations, just a few twinkly lights in the window.  I LOVE how the Americans light up the entire house (or at least the ones on telly do!).

We do have the odd exception here, but they stand out like a sore thumb, and look quite ridiculous ... I LOVE EM!!  Every year, we walk around the neighbourhood to admire the houses.  There's one little bungalow that twinkles all over... it's beautiful, and one small semi that's completely mental ..... makes me laugh out loud every time I see it ... it really lifts my spirits.

(I'll have to take a photo and show you)

Susie  :)

Marge_Innavera

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #34 on: November 17, 2007, 01:40:46 pm »

Tell ya what: when I was a child/teenager, I lived near an American military base. It was a village on its own, partly military administration buildings, partly residential area. And they had a real American highschool. With those typical lockers in the corridors (no German school has them).
Anyway, back then the securitiy level was non existing and everybody could drive through the village. Shortly before Christmas, we always drove through the American village to have a look at the exuberant decorations of those strange Americans  ;).

We were never big on putting up lights when I was a kid, probably because my Dad was a total klutz when it came to either yard work or home improvement. But there was a very wealthy neighborhood where people would compete to see who could have the biggest and gaudiest display.  It got to be a very popular place the last few weeks before Christmas for people to just cruise around and say "can you believe that?"  Sometime during December, we'd all pile in the car and go gawk.

There was one house, though, that was unforgettable.  They had a walled garden with palm trees and palmettos (this was in Florida), and they had a special little enclosure for a life-sized Nativity scene. Instead of the multicolored lights their neighbors used, this house had flood lighting that was blue-toned enough to look like moonlight, and for the last few weeks before Christmas they opened the garden to the public. It was so eerie, almost like you'd done some kind of time-travel.

I love gaudy Christmas decorations.  They're a huge, colorful Whoopie cushion on the chair of Puritanism.

Offline jstephens9

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #35 on: November 17, 2007, 05:16:24 pm »
This is a very interesting thread and I haven't finished reading all that is here yet. I find it particularly interesting how those of you in other places like Scotland, Germany, Belgium, etc. outside of the US feel about when to put out Christmas decorations. It is also very interesting the holidays you mention that I have never heard of.

As far as when I put up holiday lights and decorations, I usually try to do that right after Thanksgiving, but sometimes it stretches up until almost Christmas day. Sometimes I put out a lot of decorations and sometimes I do very little. I haven't decided about this year yet. I always leave them out until at least New Years Day or a little later; however, I do not turn them on after New Years Day. I always heard that was bad luck when I was growing up. In the same vein, I always heard it was bad luck to take them down before New Years Day.

Jack

Offline dot-matrix

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #36 on: November 18, 2007, 01:16:12 am »
On the way home this evening I noticed a house 2 blocks down the street where they already have their Christmas Tree up.  They had the blinds closed but the twinkle lights were on and that outline was unmistakable  ;)  I suppose for some people it's a matter of spreading the holiday chores out over time.  Especially if there are only one or two people expected to shoulder the chores otherwise it wouldn't be much for them would it  :-\  At least if you begin early and take your time you could conceivably have a few days to just be and enjoy.
Life is not a dress rehearsal

Susiebell

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #37 on: November 19, 2007, 08:06:05 pm »
On the way home this evening I noticed a house 2 blocks down the street where they already have their Christmas Tree up.  They had the blinds closed but the twinkle lights were on and that outline was unmistakable  ;)  I suppose for some people it's a matter of spreading the holiday chores out over time.  Especially if there are only one or two people expected to shoulder the chores otherwise it wouldn't be much for them would it  :-\  At least if you begin early and take your time you could conceivably have a few days to just be and enjoy.

Ahh but it's never a chore to me Dottie ... I love love love putting up the tree!  We put daft Christmas music on (eg "So here it is Merry Christmas", by Slade) then open all the boxes and get hanging.  When my kiddies were little, I used to have to rearrange some of the ornaments (15 on one branch, that kind of thing).  I love getting the ornaments out, we have so many home made ones from years gone by as well as tons of fairies and Santas etc (my daughters red bow covered in glue and glitter from when she was 3 always makes me smile).

We don't have a "designer" tree, just a whole mishmash of pretty baubles and silly toys and loads of tinsel!

Cant wait!!

Susie 

Offline loneleeb3

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #38 on: November 19, 2007, 09:32:22 pm »
Well We put ours up Sunday.
We usually do it the Sunday after Thanksgiving but with things being what they are this year I did it Sunday with my Daughter. The tree we did in the house I shared with my wife, we did it up big time. We had a 9.5 ft tree and it was decorated to the hilt. We also had a secondary tree in the living room.
This year i went and got a pre-lit tree at Wal-mart and put out what decorations I had.
It was fun. It looks pretty good for a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree! LOL
The imprtant thing is we had fun and we were togther!
Here are a few pics...
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Offline Kelda

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Re: When is it too early to put Holiday lights/decorations up?
« Reply #39 on: November 20, 2007, 04:53:01 am »
aww pretty.
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