Author Topic: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?  (Read 41300 times)

Offline ednbarby

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When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« on: November 25, 2008, 10:52:12 am »
I already have ours up.  I got a wild hair to put it up this past Saturday, because I had just bought it on sale at Sear's.  Yes, it's artificial - I have a problem, in principle, with putting up a real tree (but I don't begrudge anyone else doing it - my parents always had a real one).  It's one of those with the lights already woven into it.  This year, I bought one with multi-colored lights at my son's request (our previous one has white lights, but parts of them don't light up anymore and I don't feel like going light by light to figure out which one is burned out).

He wanted to just have the lights on it and nothing else, i.e., not put any ornaments or topper or other stuff on it.  He got vetoed.  This morning, he had a hissy fit because I had strung gold beads (instead of tinsel) and put ornaments on it after he went to bed.  He's six, so I'll let it slide.  Not a great start to a morning - a nuclear meltdown by your child over Christmas ornaments.

Anyone else got theirs up yet?  Or am I a maverick in this regard?

I do plan to wait until after Thanksgiving to put the outside stuff up.  We have a row of oak trees along the side of our yard facing the street (we're on a corner lot).  I tack giant red bows to them each year, put wreaths on the front doors, and decorate the mailbox.  Just don't have the gumption to string up lights outside.  My husband says I'm welcome to do it, but I have to do it myself (Scrooge).  So I don't.
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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #1 on: November 25, 2008, 11:25:05 am »
Ordinarily I try not to put my Christmas tree up till on or after December 6, the Feast of St. Nicholas, and I usually leave it up till on or about Epiphany, January 6, but sometimes practical considerations interfere with those plans.

Barb, I think it made good sense to set your tree up. You just bought it; suppose you had waited till closer to Christmas, only to find out that the lights didn't work or it was defective in some other way?

From early childhood on, I grew up with artificial trees because my mother got deathly sick from the aroma of pine in the house; at that time she didn't work outside the home and she was cooped up with it all day. Fortunately, this didn't start happening until after they invented green artificial Christmas trees that you could put lights on. In those days my grandparents had one of those aluminum trees with which you used a color wheel because you couldn't put lights on them. When I was a small boy I hated that aluminum tree; it seemed to me that lights were the very essence of a Christmas tree.

I don't begrudge the use of cut "natural" trees; at least they can be recycled. In fact I wish I could have one, but they're illegal in highrises in Philadelphia--against the fire code, for pretty obvious reasons.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #2 on: November 25, 2008, 12:33:20 pm »
I already have ours up. 

Anyone else got theirs up yet?  Or am I a maverick in this regard?


 :o
You got your tree up already? Now I would call it definitively mavericky!
We will put up the tree a day or two before Christmas (which is starts on Dec 24 over here and lasts three days). And it will come down on or around Epiphany, just like Jeff's.


Next Sunday is the first Advent, so we'll put up an Advent wreath and light the first candle on it. Some time the next week I'll put lights into the three front windows and that's it.

Like Jeff's mother, I'm allergic to "real" trees. I stood it for years, partly because I simply didn't know one can be allergic to trees. It was here on BetterMost, when I read it for the first time from Jeff.
Long story short, last year we had an artificial tree for the first time. My oldest threw a hissy fit when we put it up, because Christmas without a real tree is NOT Christmas. Oh well. I can understand her, I also prefer real trees, but I can't help it. Last year was the first time in many years I experienced Christmas without dyspnea and without feeling sick. So we stick with the artificial tree.


Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #3 on: November 25, 2008, 12:59:41 pm »
:o
You got your tree up already? Now I would call it definitively mavericky!
  ;D

Quote
Next Sunday is the first Advent, so we'll put up an Advent wreath and light the first candle on it. Some time the next week I'll put lights into the three front windows and that's it.

We never had a home Advent wreath, but I've always looked forward to the wreath being lighted in church. In the church where I grew up, lighting the candles each successive Sunday has always been made a part of the liturgy.

Quote
Like Jeff's mother, I'm allergic to "real" trees. I stood it for years, partly because I simply didn't know one can be allergic to trees. It was here on BetterMost, when I read it for the first time from Jeff.
  :o

Quote
Long story short, last year we had an artificial tree for the first time. My oldest threw a hissy fit when we put it up, because Christmas without a real tree is NOT Christmas. Oh well. I can understand her, I also prefer real trees, but I can't help it. Last year was the first time in many years I experienced Christmas without dyspnea and without feeling sick. So we stick with the artificial tree.

Oh, my goodness, that made my day, Little Darlin'! I'm so glad to know I helped you figure out your problem!   :D 

Mother was just like that--couldn't breathe, and she also lost her voice. I understand your oldest's hissy fit. I can remember when the doctor told us to get rid of the Christmas tree--we already had a beautiful fir tree set up and decorated--I was very upset that we would end up with an aluminum tree like the one my grandparents had.

My father was always partial to Douglas Fir for a Christmas tree because he said they held their needles longer than some other trees.
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Dobie1018

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #4 on: November 25, 2008, 02:51:42 pm »
I think when Thanksgiving has passed, that's when the start of the Christmas season begins, but I think the proper time to put up a Christmas tree is a couple of weeks before Christmas, and taking it down a couple weeks after Christmas.  I love putting the tree up, and hate taking it down!

Offline Penthesilea

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #5 on: November 25, 2008, 03:18:50 pm »
Oh, my goodness, that made my day, Little Darlin'! I'm so glad to know I helped you figure out your problem!   :D 


You sure did! I thought I told you last year. Maybe I forgot.
I had a vague feeleing it might be the tree. But I thought it couldn't be, because nobody is allergic to trees. And I'm certainly not allergic when I take a walk in the forest or sumpn. So I just lived with it and hoped every year (in vain) it would get better.
After reading about your mother I decided it is actually possible to be allergic to Christmas trees and I gave the artificial tree a try.

It really was a big relief. So thank you! :-*

Offline CellarDweller

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #6 on: November 25, 2008, 03:58:27 pm »
I know people who already have their tree up.

We'll be putting ours up on Thanksgiving.


Tell him when l come up to him and ask to play the record, l'm gonna say: ''Voulez-vous jouer ce disque?''
'Voulez-vous, will you kiss my dick?'
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Offline ednbarby

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #7 on: November 25, 2008, 04:04:19 pm »
I know people who already have their tree up.

We'll be putting ours up on Thanksgiving.

My parents' tradition was always putting it up the Friday after Thanksgiving.  My stepmother would go shopping, and my Dad and I would get the tree, set it up, and string the lights on it.  When my stepmother got home and had a sufficient rest from her shopping, she would put most of the ornaments on it and let me put on the "special" ones at the end.

Another rationale for just doing it this past Saturday for me was that we will be out of town the week of Christmas.  So this way, we can enjoy it the same amount of time.

The main one rationale was that I really, really felt like doing it.  I thought I'd better strike while the iron was hot, because I know from past experience that the first two (or three...) weekends in December can easily pass me by with no Christmas tree because I just don't feel like doing it.
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Offline Jeff Wrangler

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #8 on: November 25, 2008, 04:51:25 pm »
You sure did! I thought I told you last year. Maybe I forgot.

Or it  may be that you told me and I forgot!  ;D I'm just glad you'll be having a more comfortable Christmas season.  :D

The main one rationale was that I really, really felt like doing it.

That's probably the best reason for doing it!  :D
"It is required of every man that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellow-men, and travel far and wide."--Charles Dickens.

Offline Ellemeno

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Re: When is it too early to put up your Christmas tree?
« Reply #9 on: November 25, 2008, 06:06:43 pm »
You guys are so lucky for your enthusiasm.  Me, I'm like, oy, do I have to do all that Christmas tree mishigas?